Tie Me to the Future
by Tsubasa Kya
Summary: The balance of time rests in the hands of a clumsy woman. 3 plots WHEN WILL THIS STORY END? Ends up HieiKag InuYuYu XO
1. The Jewel Shard Hunters

**Before you read! Okay, a little information. At the beginning of each chapter, I'll put the title of the story, a disclaimer, my name, and a chapter title. I'm sorry if the format is screwy! If you tell me, I'll do my best to fix it.**

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan. _

**Okay, so you all know, this is a crossover (in case you didn't read the disclaimer!).  
Okay, so you all know, this is a crossover (in case you didn't read the last sentence!).  
Okay, so you all know, this is a crossover (in case you just don't really care to read these!). **

Okay, look. This is a crossover. It only makes sense that I have a pairing that CROSSES universes. So, that's why you'll get to watch this be either a Hiei/Kag or a Kur/Kag. I won't tell you who gets Kagome. If you don't like this, push your back button and stop reading. Yes, it's rude, but obviously its the only way to get your attention!

This is the last time I will say it! This is a crossover between Yu Yu Hakusho and Inuyasha! No, I won't say that in the summary because I like the current one which leaves no room for the information that I clearly have left HERE!

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Chapter one: The Jewel Shard Hunters

Kagome sighed with quiet relief as she began packing up her things to go home as silently as she could. Her muscles ached, and her entire body was completely bruised from head to toe she was sure, though when she looked at it, it just appeared normal.

Okay, there was that one bruise on her cheek and a part of her chocolate brown eyes, and the bruising on her inner thighs, but that was to be expected from the rigorous training she had to endure while in the Feudal Era. Even her midnight black hair felt like it too had taken a beating.

**-flashback…sort of-**

_Inuyasha had decided to teach her swordsmanship nearly a year previous, just before Kouga had joined their little band of jewel hunters. Inuyasha was a decent enough teacher, but also very impatient which had made learning for her very hard. Kouga was the first of the remaining members to join along with Hakkaku and Ginta, and then it had been the phantom demon Seirra, and finally Sesshoumaru had joined, along with Jaken tagging along everywhere as well as Ah-Uhn and Rin. _

_As soon as Kouga joined and saw that Inuyasha was teaching her, he too wanted to help her learn to defend herself and so he began to teach her hand to hand combat. He was just as impatient as Inuyasha. Sango had decided to help Kagome at nights away from the group take in the lessons that Inuyasha and Kouga had been trying to teach her, and even with her being overly patient, the lessons still seemed hard to grasp. _

_Inuyasha had started teaching Kagome nearly twelve months previous, and Kouga had joined and started teaching Kagome nearly ten months previous. Seirra had joined nine months before and Sesshoumaru had joined seven months before. _

_Shortly after Sesshoumaru had joined, he had begun first by simply sitting and watching Kagome's lessons with Kouga and Inuyasha. At first, he had not really cared if she died or not. He was simply tagging along because of Inuyasha's uncanny ability to attract Naraku. In return for being with the group, he agreed not to fight for Tetsusaiga—which he had never intended to fight for anyway after getting the Tokijin._

_It was six months previous when the large band of jewel hunters had met a pair of Naraku's incarnations that had been sent after them. Jaken and Ah-Uhn had been quickly disposed of by one incarnation and the second had gone for Rin. Kagome remembered the painful ripping of flesh that had happened when the incarnation's claws tore into her flesh instead of Rin's, courtesy of Kagome shoving Rin out of the way. _

'_Kagome, big sister!' Rin had yelled. The pair of incarnations were the strongest they had yet faced. They were able to control wind as Kagura had been before she was killed by Naraku, but also able to control many other elements, including having telepathy. With that telepathy, they were able to predict and counter the moves easily. The first twin was easily able to occupy the rest of their group while the second twin attacked Kagome, Shippou and Rin, the weakest links. _

_Sesshoumaru had been there to see Kagura die. He had gone to her knowing who she was, and she had been glad to see him one last time. Kagura had fallen in love... but then Naraku had taken her life, just after Kagura betrayed him by saving Kohaku's life. She died smiling, Sesshoumaru had said. _

_Kagome was bleeding terribly and no one was able to come to her rescue or Shippou or Rin's. Despite the strength of those group members, they were all far too busy with the first of the twins. Kagome had gotten up, pained by the wound in her abdomen. She needed to protect Rin. They were just children!_

'_Rin, Shippou, run!' Kagome yelled. Despite the odds against her and the pain from the claw wounds, she still raced at the demon incarnation. She held the demon as best as she could and the demon laughed at her pathetic attempts. _

'_You think you can hold me?' The demon shouted. He merely backhanded her off of him and she went hurdling twelve feet into the air before skidding painfully across uneven ground, tumbling. When she finally stopped, she could feel the cuts, bruises, and lacerations on her body ten fold. _

'_But I will admit you have some guts there, human.' The demon sneered. He began walked towards her slowly and she sat up, slowly inching away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shippou dragging Rin away. Shippou and Rin wouldn't have been at the fight if it weren't for the surprise attack. Jaken and Ah-Uhn would have taken the two away. _

_Kagome held her arm to her chest as the demon paced towards her, mocking her fear. She was not stupid enough not to be afraid now that Shippou and Rin were temporarily safe. Once more, Kagome questioned the heavens asking why she couldn't just have a normal teenage life. 'I, I'm not afraid of you!' Kagome told the demon. Her sweat and heavily pounding heart told otherwise. _

'_Oh? You're not? Kukuku... Could have fooled me.' The demon told her. He reached down and grasped her by the throat, lifting her into the air. 'You are unnecessary baggage. Look at you! You are unable to defend yourself. Without the help of your pathetic companions, you are easy pickings. Time to die, little girl.' _

_Kagome felt her entire body freeze. Even those parts that were injured felt like ice. She was that afraid. Her fear extended deep into her mind and she couldn't defend herself even minimally. Her mind wouldn't remember anything the impatient Kouga or Inuyasha had taught her. The demon's hand began to crush her throat._

'_I can hear your thoughts... you wonder if you'll suffocate, or bleed to death first.' The demon chuckled. At that point, she had thought she would die. The unexpected came then. Her life was saved by Sesshoumaru. The demon incarnations were not able to predict that because it had been completely unpredictable. Sesshoumaru actually chucked Tokijin and lashed out with his poison whip. His whip sliced off the demon's arm and Kagome crumpled to the ground. _

_She held her broken arm to her after tearing away the arm piece from her neck. Her fear still kept her rooted to the spot, but the branch of unpredictability from Sesshoumaru had confused the twins. They left in as much a swirl of wind as Kagura had always done, probably to regroup. _

_Unfortunately, Kagome had died. She had lost too much blood and the demon had hit her vital organs. The second surprise also came from Sesshoumaru. Once he had picked up Tokijin and re-sheathed it, he walked over to Kagome, unsheathed Tenseiga, and revived her. He had not knelt down and lifted her up like he had for Rin, but he owed her a favor for her saving Rin. _

_This had surprised most of the group. After that event and a week and a half worth of rest in her own time, Kagome returned and things returned to normal. Inuyasha would try teaching her, get impatient, and yell at her, same with Kouga. Then, slowly, as the days crawled by, Kagome found Sesshoumaru correcting both her and Inuyasha during their lessons, and both her and Kouga during her lessons with the wolf demon prince. _

_Soon, without anyone realizing how it came to be, Sesshoumaru was the teacher and all three of Kagome, Inuyasha, and Kouga were the students. These lessons took place during the evening hours or lunch break._

_Seirra then began to teach Kagome gymnastics as well. These were to help with flexibility and would pair with Sesshoumaru's lessons in hand to hand and sword fighting, helping things go smoother and allowing her body to pick up on the lessons easier. Since then, they had not seen any sign of Naraku, his dangerous incarnation Mouryoumaru, or anything. There was no sign of Kikyou and Kohaku either. _

_Kagome had begun to respect Sesshoumaru even greater than before for his strength, power, and knowledge, and she was sure that he did not think of her as a human worthy of nothing more than a gruesome death. To her knowledge, the only things he was smarter at than her were things such as ruling lands since he knew that first hand, fighting and defending himself, and the ever-dreaded math. _

**-end flashback-**

Now, Kagome had to be silent because the entire group was resting in a clearing near the bone eaters well. Her inner thighs were bruised because of the gymnastics and her hands were beginning to get slightly calloused from all three of her lessons, not to mention having to continue practicing using the bow.

Her lessons in sword fighting were doing better than her archery she was sure...which was not a very flattering statement. She was positive she absolutely sucked.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha. **


	2. Follow

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

Warning: Any complaints, address them to me.

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Chapter two: Follow

She figured that if she could get to the well without being noticed, she wouldn't have to deal with Inuyasha making any big fuss over her going home this time, and if she got to the well without Sesshoumaru noticing, she wouldn't be told to keep practicing all she had learned so far. She was leaving to have a break from all that.

Stiffly, Kagome looked around once more at her sleeping companions. Sesshoumaru, with his extremely long silver hair, golden eyes, and tall stature sat leaning against the base of a tree with his head down and face shadowed by his bangs. Kagome knew he had a blue crescent moon marking on his forehead and two maroon stripes on each of his cheeks, crossing horizontally from his ears to point to his nose and mouth. Those same stripes were on his right wrist.

His left arm had been cut off by Inuyasha in the very beginning of the quest when they were still fighting each other. His pelt was off him currently and surprisingly not only Rin was curled up in it but Shippou was as well. Sesshoumaru's ears were pointed instead of rounded like any normal person's...ahem...human's. His fingers were topped with nails as sharp as claws that could cut through anything, Kagome guessed and he had dangerously sharp and long canine teeth that she preferred to term fangs.

Sesshoumaru wore white fighting gi with patterns of red sakura blossoms and over that he normally wore bone armor which was on now. Normally on his right shoulder was the pelt that Rin and Shippou were curled up in, but Kagome got the feeling he wore that purely for fashion purposes.

Proof that the brothers were semi-getting along went in the fact that the tree that Sesshoumaru was leaning against was the same tree that Inuyasha was sitting in, on the highest branch up that he could possibly go without his weight breaking the limb. Inuyasha had most of the same features that Sesshoumaru did—the golden eyes, the silver hair that was pretty long though not as long as his elder half-brother's, the stubborn jut to his chin.

Inuyasha wore a red haori and hakama, with a white layer underneath the top. The red part of the cloth was made out of the skin of the fire rat. Instead of the pointed elf-like ears his elder half-brother had, he had cute fuzzy little puppy dog ears on top of his head. He had the same sharp claw-like nails and canines. The difference was that where Sesshoumaru was all demon; Inuyasha was not. Inuyasha was a half-breed dog demon, having a mother who was human and a father who was a powerful Western Lord.

Inuyasha's eyes were shadowed too by his bangs and Kagome had to stifle a giggle at how related the two rival siblings looked just then. His arms were crossed defiantly across his chest. He looked to be sleeping deeply for once which Kagome envied. She had not been able to sleep very easily for months what with her body always so beat up and bruised from training.

Inuyasha was the very first person Kagome met, well, sort of anyway, in the feudal era. He had been bound to the God tree by a sacred arrow and placed under a magical sleep by a priestess named Kikyou when both had thought to be betrayed by the other. They had been tricked by Naraku, the fiendish half-breed.

Then there was Shippou. He was a young fox demon whose parents had been killed by the Thunder Brothers, Hiten and Manten, over jewel shards. He had bright red-orange hair that he kept in a pony tail and cropped short. He had fox legs instead of normal legs, considering he was a demon, but that was to be expected and Kagome wouldn't change him for the world.

Shippou had a bubbly and mischievous personality. Kagome could always tell when he was planning to play a prank on one of the other group members, as his emerald eyes would alight with humor. Despite being small, he did pack at least some punch in his tiny fists. He could use illusionary magic that helped him be able to run away easier.

Beside Shippou was Rin, the young human girl who had chosen to follow Sesshoumaru around, making Sesshoumaru into an idol of sorts. Having a person to believe in and idolize was something Kagome believed would completely benefit Rin though she did wish it wasn't Sesshoumaru. Then again, the young girl did seem to have an effect on Sesshoumaru. After all, without her, Sesshoumaru would never have realized his potential to use the Tenseiga.

Kouga, a tall, black haired, brown eyed wolf demon prince, had a smidge of an infatuation for Kagome and showed it at every possible moment, even if she showed him no same favor in return. Kagome liked Inuyasha with every ounce of herself. She could never imagine liking anyone else, which made it hurt so much when she knew his thoughts would eventually turn to Kikyou, his past love. With Kouga were his two wolf pack mates, Ginta and Hakkaku.

Sango slept on the ground with Kirara her pet and faithful friend fire cat demon in her arms, curled up. Her long black hair framed her face, not in its usual ponytail. She had beautiful brown eyes and was completely human. She was a demon slayer, which made it strange for her sometimes to be in the large group of many demons.

She had lost most of her family. Kohaku was the only family she had that remained alive, or partially alive, held to this world by the power of a jewel shard. She had been through quite a lot in the past few years with Kagome and the others.

Miroku was a lecherous monk with the famous pickup line, "Will you do me the honor of bearing my child, beautiful woman?" His black hair was kept in a low dragon's tail at the nape of his neck and his eyes were always a laughing brown despite the curse that threatened to eat him alive, thanks to Naraku. Until Naraku was dead and that curse was removed, he knew he would be unable to lead a normal life.

Seirra, the phantom demon, was a powerful woman, full demon and yet she was different. She was as ruthless as Sesshoumaru was, in her own way. She was faster, more limber, than Sesshoumaru, Kouga, or Inuyasha. Her hair was the strangest blue in color. Her ears were rounded, not pointed, and her eyes were an odd silver-white. Kagome always wondered if she was blind.

Her smile was beautiful and seductive at the same time, enough to melt even a woman's heart. Kagome knew from experience, though she did tend to try not to admit that to anyone. She didn't want to be thought of as gay or lesbian, but if Seirra turned that charm on her, she always felt this sort of giddy feeling in her gut. Kagome couldn't help but think if Seirra knew she was doing that to her.

Seirra had come to the group and at the time, she had been under the spell of Naraku. Inuyasha never trusted Seirra since then, but eventually he did stop trying to stay awake for days at a time to watch Seirra. Kagome had helped Seirra free herself from the spell, though even she was not sure how she did it.

In return, Seirra had joined their rag-tag bunch of jewel hunters in order to protect Kagome if she was ever in need. Seirra had tried to protect Kagome during the fight with the twins, but they had been specially prepared for Seirra.

Ah-Uhn, the two headed dragon that followed Sesshoumaru around, slept at the very edge of the large clearing. His scales were greenish-grey though still several scales were broken from the fight with the twin incarnations all those months ago.

Jaken was snoring on a rock near the two children, his bald green little head tilting forward every so often. He would then jerk himself away, shake his head to clear it, and moments later be half asleep again. Kagome had chosen that particular hour when Jaken was on watch duty because she hoped it would be the easiest time to escape.

Kouga would stop her from leaving, refusing to believe she would be safe, Inuyasha would stop her from leaving, refusing to believe she would return on schedule, Sango and Miroku would beg her to stay for her own safety since they would believe they were not close enough to the well. Sesshoumaru would... well, Kagome didn't know how Sesshoumaru would react if she tried leaving.

She wondered if he would just let her go, but then shook that off as she shifted her backpack on and grabbed the simple katana that Sango and Miroku had bought for her, stuffing that in the sash she now wore for that simple purpose of holding the sword there, and grabbing her bow and arrow quiver as quietly as she could.

She stepped as quietly as she could past Jaken, heading for the well. Halfway there, she was intercepted. She hadn't been expecting anyone to notice her departure, but then again, she might've stepped on a twig that alerted them to her leaving. She looked up...and up...and up...into Sesshoumaru's face. She was startled that it was him. Of all of them, she had expected Inuyasha.

Kagome could just barely see that it was him, tell that it was him, by the outline of armor around his shoulders. If it weren't for that, she might've screamed bloody murder, but she trusted him enough not to kill her within range of Inuyasha's nose at least. Okay, that was very misleading. She really wasn't sure if she could trust him as far as she could throw him, which wasn't very far since she couldn't throw him at all.

"I'm going home. I've been here an entire month and a half." Kagome whispered as low as she could. She really didn't need Inuyasha barraging over and dragging her back to tie her down or something equally humorous to that effect.

"I will not stop you." Sesshoumaru said. "Follow." He began to lead the way away from the others. She nearly tipped over, startled by that. What would he want her to follow him for? Well, she had sort of known him for seven months since he had joined their group...She was positive he wasn't marching her to her death at least...

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	3. Difficult Questions

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Nope. I was only a fan last time. I'm still only a fan now._

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Chapter three: Difficult Questions

Twenty minutes of tromping later, Kagome was short of breath. For every one of his steps, she had to take two, but also she had to be silent so that no noise got back to Kouga or Inuyasha's ears. She was grateful that the two were heavy sleepers—at least; they had been heavy sleepers since Sesshoumaru joined and proved he wouldn't murder them immediately, anyway.

Kagome recalled when Sesshoumaru had come to offer to join them. Inuyasha had already known about Rin before then and that Sesshoumaru was going after Naraku because Naraku had decided he was going to take Rin hostage, but Inuyasha wasn't prepared for the surprise he had been in for.

**-flashback-**

_Inuyasha wasn't stupid. He hadn't attacked Sesshoumaru blindly, or even immediately. He cracked his knuckles and turned away from Kagome. 'Stay back, Kagome.' He'd said. The two were slightly separated from the group, about two miles away because Inuyasha didn't want any distractions. _

'_What is it?' Kagome had asked. He didn't answer her. He stood, sniffing the air delicately with his nose. 'What is it?' She asked again, a little louder. He still didn't answer her. _

_The wind whipped her school uniform skirt left and right, twisting it about her waist. Her shirt bloated out from her body as the wind blew and she smoothed it down. She tried to listen for any abnormal sounds but all she heard was the sound of the birds flying overhead, chirping happily as they made their way back and forth making nests for the winter out of twigs, grass, and leaves. _

_She heard the wind whistling in her ears but that wasn't abnormal. She heard Inuyasha's feet shuffle as he looked around and saw his ears twitching. Nothing she could hear was abnormal, and everything she saw from the birds to the grass seemed normal to her. But she hadn't thought to look behind her and it seemed, neither had Inuyasha. _

_With as powerful as Sesshoumaru was, he easily could use his magic to create a barrier that would surround his body and mask his presence entirely. It of course could not block sound, but he was a very quiet sort of person. Quiet and graceful. Inuyasha, however, could feel the barrier thanks to the barrier breaking red-Tetsusaiga. He just couldn't pinpoint it._

_Kagome felt something blocking the wind from her. Her shirt mostly smoothed against her body, but her skirt kept whipping against her thighs. Her eyes widened when she saw a furry pelt just barely from the corner of her eye and she could have sworn that she was about to die. She didn't even have the courage to call Inuyasha's name; not that she needed to considering Inuyasha had turned around and saw more than what she did. His face slipped from horrified to angry in seconds. _

'_Sesshoumaru...' Inuyasha growled. Kagome was grateful he didn't attack immediately and attempt to impale Sesshoumaru. She was sure that would be more disastrous than he'd intended and was grateful he chose instead to stand still._

'_Inuyasha.' Sesshoumaru said in that condescending tone. 'You put too much faith in your nose and ears. I should not have gotten even this close to the wench.'_

_When a person is about to die, generally they swing one of two ways: passive or aggressive. The same could be applied to people who had just lost someone. Kagome was, under normal circumstances, very aggressive and fought for her life. This time, she just stood there, staring out the corner of her eye at the bit of pelt that she could see. It had become her world. She could see nothing else. She could hear the two talking and feel the hand that came to rest upon her shoulder then. _

'_Get away from Kagome!' Inuyasha yelled. _

'_I will grant your wish, on one condition.' _

'_You can't have the Tetsusaiga! You can't even hold it!' _

'_Oh?' Sesshoumaru's hand moved slowly from her shoulder to her neck. His claws teased the surface of her skin and sent deadly shivers through her body. Finally she found control over her body and her hands went up to grasp his wrist. She could almost feel his predator eyes bearing into her except the fact that she knew he would be looking at Inuyasha. _

'_Fine, you can have it! Just don't hurt her!' Inuyasha shouted, almost desperately. Kagome fainted. She didn't want to, but fear kept her courage tamped down. She fell heavily against Sesshoumaru. _

**-end flashback-**

Kagome wasn't sure what happened after that. Whatever it was had happened between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha alone and neither were going to tell it any time soon. Kagome had always wondered why Seirra hadn't come—the phantom demon had an extremely uncanny ability to sense when Kagome was in danger. Perhaps she had come after Kagome had fainted, but she claimed she knew nothing.

Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru's back, watching his hair move slightly from the left to the right with his steps. "I was sure I was quiet." Kagome told him.

"I assure you, you were surprisingly quiet." He told her. "Nothing escapes this Sesshoumaru's attention." Kagome watched him walk gracefully out of the trees into the well clearing. The moonlight shone down on his hair, creating a softer hue to its shade. He reached the well and stood by it, looking slightly down into the deep dark depths. "This Sesshoumaru is especially careful to remain awake when Jaken is on guard."

Kagome rested her hand on a tree trunk, smiling at the demon lord. She supposed that his being around her and everyone else made him a little less stiff. If asked just before Sesshoumaru had joined them whether or not he could joke, she would have laughed and said 'no' without a second thought. Now, she was glad to see that he could and obviously would joke.

"Is something on your mind?" She asked him. Everyone in the group had a job it seemed. Kagome had become the group confidant. She wondered if the only one in the group yet to take advantage of her status as confidant would finally do so. She finally moved out of the shelter of the trees and approached him. When she was sure he wouldn't murder her for it, she rested a gentle hand on his arm. He seemed to be lost in thought, staring into the depths of the well.

Finally, he looked at her. It almost frightened her; Sesshoumaru wasn't one to normally lose track of things. "I apologize."

"It's okay—"

"It is not alright." Kagome saw his fist clench and wondered how he felt having only one arm. She was surprised he had actually said something so condemning towards himself. It was a step though. "You remind me so much of my mother."

Kagome stared at him for a second. She waved to the lip of the well. "Sit down. Talking about it does help." He never looked at her, but surprised her when he did sit. She sat next to him, straddling the lip of the well so that she could be facing him. His golden eyes seemed to be slightly glazed with something, though she wasn't sure what yet. "How do I remind you of your mother?"

"I do not know for sure. When I see you, I cannot help but think 'She will be a great woman, just like mother was'."

Kagome reached out and took his hand. She pinched it and that glazed look in his eye disappeared to be replaced with an annoyed look. He didn't pull his hand away, so she figured he did not yet intend to kill her for it at least. Bats flew overhead, squealing and shrieking into the night, catching bugs. A few miles away were the camp where the rest of the group was sleeping.

She smiled and said, "I wanted to be sure you heard me when I said thank you for the compliment." She frowned when he downcast his eyes. Something was definitely up. Something serious was bothering him. Why would he be acting this way? "Tell me what is bothering you..."

He was silent for so long that she wasn't even sure he would answer. She held his hand in a comforting way. She watched his expression loosen up until he looked even younger than she was. "My father died protecting Inuyasha and his mother. My mother died protecting me. Everyone in my family died protecting someone. Everyone died until there was only Inuyasha and I left. Inuyasha was not old enough to understand, and I was barely old enough to stay upright at my coronation ceremony."

She went to let go of his hand, but he grabbed it tighter. Now she knew something was really wrong. She listened as he continued and scooted closer to him so she wasn't half leaning over just so he could be comforted by the presence of her hand in his. She knew how comforting just holding someone's hand could be. It didn't have to be a lover; it could be a mother, a brother, a sister, a grandparent, or even just a friend or person whom you respected greatly.

"The regent was my father's chief advisor, Kaoi. He ordered Inuyasha and his mother to go. I, at the time, was about the equivalent of a five year old and Inuyasha was about the equivalent of a three year old, even if in your human years, I was probably thirty years old. I liked Inuyasha's mother, though she was hardly a replacement for my mother. I liked Inuyasha—he was my little brother and all I had left. I tried to stop them. I promised to protect them, despite my youth. They stayed as long as they could before they were chased off. I could not keep my promise to protect them."

In the distance, Kagome heard the howls of the wolves and the yips of coyotes. She felt a droplet of water hit her bare leg and looked up. The droplets began to fall slowly, like little tears. It was almost as though the sky were crying for Sesshoumaru. Kagome couldn't imagine what it must have felt like to have his only family taken away from him. If something like that had ever happened to her, she wasn't sure what she would do.

"It's okay though." Instead of just holding his hand, she turned to entwining her fingers through his. She felt his claws graze the back of her hand but didn't care at all. Minor scratches were nothing and would heal themselves in a week or two. "You can't change the past, but you can change your future. Have you told Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru shook his head. "You should tell him. I'm sure he'd want to know—"

"I am too young for this." Sesshoumaru said, and Kagome saw a tear floating in his eye. It threatened to fall out, but he appeared to be trying to hold back. Kagome understood, but he still continued. "I am about the equivalent of an eighteen year old human, even if I have lived for over one hundred years. I was not the King of the Western Lands these past years. I was able to wander and do as I pleased for this long because Kaoi took care of most of the things. He is the Regent.

"But now, I have reached what is called demon maturity. The court wants their king to take over. The ceremony will take place in a week. These seven months, I was to be looking for allies to bring with me to the ceremony. Powerful allies that will benefit the land. I found you, Inuyasha, and your companions. Now, I do not know how to ask."

Kagome reached her other hand over and rested it on his shoulder, shaking it lightly. His eyes met hers, and with that movement, the tear fell. She understood how overwhelmed he felt by the responsibilities. She herself had spent days crying in the beginning of the journey because she didn't know how to handle the pressure weighing down on her. Sesshoumaru had basically admitted that he had not been raised to be King. Kaoi, the chief advisor, had done everything for him. Now he did not know how to go about things. It was like being born again and trying to learn years worth of lessons in a few hours.

"It's okay to cry." She smiled. "Think of crying as a way to get rid of unnecessary baggage—"

"Baggage?" He did not understand the term. A second tear fell.

She reached to her blouse and pulled the kerchief tie from her neck, using it to dab at his eyes. "Alright, I'll try again. Think of each tear as a rampant demon, trying to terrorize the land. By crying, you're killing those tiny demons. I don't look at crying as a weakness. I see it as strength because anyone who can cry... that means they have a heart." She put his hand over her heart and let him feel the soft pounding. "I recommend talking to Inuyasha. He's a lot smarter than he looks."

The rain started to pour down; soaking them both and making her kerchief tie useless. "What do I say?"

"First, start with telling him what you told me. The rest... it'll all come far easier for you then." She smiled and let go of his hand. "The answer first lies with the honesty you give your brother. Out of everyone, he should know. And maybe he'll have an answer for you?"

Kagome watched his face turn up in a small smile. "Thank you... Lady Priestess Kagome."

Kagome nodded. "I'll be here if you need me. Or, rather, I'll be back soon anyway."

Changing the subject, he said, "Your training has come along quite well, considering your race."

Of course, he just HAD to make a derogatory remark to her race. In the middle of complimenting her too! So rude! "Yeah, well excuse me!" Kagome scoffed, standing. Kagome couldn't help but giggle though. "But you can't wash this over. It might be best if you talk with him in private. That way, whatever you say will stay between you two." He grabbed her hand again just as she had been about to step up on the lip of the well. She looked at him. "It's getting late, you know. And wet. With it raining this bad, they'll all probably wake up and notice we're gone."

"Would you be my second chief advisor?" She saw, quite literally, fear and apprehension in his eyes. He feared rejection.

Kagome could have sworn her jaw dropped thirty feet below sea level. "You're joking, right?" He quirked an eyebrow at her, "Okay, so maybe not. Er... wait, what do you mean by that?"

With a small inaudible sigh, he said, "Lands, people to govern over... stuff like that. Do you want them?" She giggled. "What is funny?"

"You said stuff!" If he could have done so gracefully, he might have fallen over.

"Please?" He added. That same fear was in his eyes.

Kagome couldn't help but want to help him. "Of course. What do I have to do?"

He took a scroll out of his sleeve and she guessed it had been held there by magic. She watched as some spell made it so the rain went around it like there was an invisible umbrella over it. He opened it with difficulty and put the parchment on the lip of the well and took a small dagger from his sleeve.

She couldn't help but be amazed at how useful such large sleeves were. "Just swear it by your blood to remain loyal." She saw a small blush stain his cheeks. He was probably embarrassed because he himself might not know everything about the blood oath, despite his years.

Kagome took the dagger and placed the sharp knife to the flesh of her hand. She hesitated. She didn't want to cut herself. As usual, she quite literally jumped into action before knowing what she had to do. She peered at him and saw he was not looking at anything but the ground, dejectedly. She didn't want to see that Sesshoumaru anymore, so slit her hand open and let the droplets fall onto the parchment. She preferred to see the confident, emotionless Sesshoumaru. Or maybe even the smiling Sesshoumaru. But never, ever did she want to see that look on his face again.

Not really knowing what to say, she said, "I, Kagome Lynn Higurashi, do solemnly swear to forever keep my promise to aid Lord Sesshoumaru if I can, and I swear to put forth more effort at becoming a trained priestess so to better aid his efforts. I swear fealty to Sesshoumaru, but will not call him Lord Sesshoumaru, because that's just annoying, and I promise to do my best at being his... whatever it was he said I was going to be. However, I cannot promise that I will always be able to be here with him in this time period."

She jumped when the scroll began to crackle with what looked to be electricity. Her blood had seeped into the very essence of the parchment. Sesshoumaru looked at the scroll, obviously confused. Her oath began to appear on the parchment, in the exact way she had said it, and then her signature appeared at the bottom, exactly the way it would have been if she had written it.

The lightning connected with Kagome and Sesshoumaru's bodies and both felt the most excruciating pain they had ever felt. Sesshoumaru fell to his hands and knees from the lip of the well and was panting, his eyes wide open and beginning to bleed red as his inner demon tried to escape to free him from the pain. Kagome bit her lip to keep from screaming so hard that it literally bit a hole in it and began to flood her mouth with blood. She writhed on the ground, holding her head as the pain absorbed into her very flesh.

A second oath began to write itself on the parchment, obviously taken right from Sesshoumaru's heart. **I, Sesshoumaru, do solemnly swear to aid Lady Priestess Kagome if she needs and will do my best to help her train her body physically so she is able to protect herself in times of need. I promise to help her discourage the fear of demons so she can concentrate on her battles. I accept Lady Priestess Kagome's loyalty and am honored by it. **

When the pain disappeared, Kagome felt something new about herself. She couldn't figure out what it was. It was inside her, not outside, but she also felt like she had just been painted on. She ignored that feeling and tried sitting up on weak arms. Sesshoumaru leaned heavily against the well. She knew it had happened to him too and so wondered how the heck he could continue to look so calm. Her own heart was racing a million miles an hour.

"I feel different." Kagome told him. "Weary... pained. And different."

"So do I. You should go. They are fast approaching." She saw his eyes drooping. She didn't want to leave him there, but knew the others wouldn't hurt him. She stood and her backpack did not come with her. The straps had been ripped from her when she'd been rolling around.

She tightened her sash, then grabbed her backpack and began dragging it towards the well. Her bow had been on the backpack, but it had not been spared from the lightning. It had been snapped in half. She left it there. She bent down and kissed Sesshoumaru's forehead. She felt like her muscles were screaming, but she did it anyway.

"That was unlike any pain I have ever felt before..." He told her, his voice accentuated with several pauses. His eyes were fading in and out of clarity. "Please, come back before the week is up."

"I'll return. I wouldn't miss it for the world." She promised.

Before she could disappear down the well though, she heard him say, "And do not forget to practice." Aww. That sucked. He remembered.

The scene Inuyasha and the others came upon was Sesshoumaru, lying against the well. Kagome was nowhere in sight. The magical parchment was still on the rim, somehow not grasped by the wind. Seirra read the parchment and showed it to Inuyasha. He read it and was confused. Kouga, surprisingly, was the one to explain it.

"Kagome basically is his servant now. Does that make sense to you, mutt-brain?"

* * *

**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	4. Family Visits

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

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Chapter four: Family Visit

Kagome's body was screaming at her by the time she made it to the top of the ladder that grandpa, mama, and Souta had put one the side of the well for her late evening returns what seemed like hundreds of years ago already. She had to sit on the lip of the well in the well house for a few moments to catch her breath because her body pained her so much. That oath had really taken it out of her.

As Kagome carried her body out of the well house and into the courtyard, she saw that the skies were getting lighter out. She figured it was near dawn and joked with herself that a perfect bedtime was at dawn. As usual, the front door was locked, but this time her key did not fit in the lock.

"The lock's been changed?" she wondered aloud. With a groan, she made her way over to the ledge below her window and propped first her backpack up on the ledge and then her hand. It was extremely difficult to climb with her muscles so pained, but she made it to the top of the ledge anyway. The string for the inside lock was still there at least, so the climb was not useless.

She pulled the string and the simple latch pulled up. She slid the door open and let her body fall into the room. That was where she slept through the day. She didn't notice that her hand was quickly healing from where she had cut it to give her oath.

**-That afternoon-**

Her mother came into the room later, shuffling over to sit on her bed. "Kagome, dear." Kagome woke to her mother's quiet voice. She was ashamed to think that she wanted her mother's mouth to be taped over. Every time she came home, she always thought it would be best to get away for a few days from the Feudal Era, but then she found she couldn't stand the here and now.

Kagome rolled over on the floor to look at her mother through her good eye. "Hello, mama." She said, plastering on a false smile. Her mind wandered back to just leaving for the Feudal Era once more.

"Kagome, you're all bruised, all over! Oh, Kagome, what are those monsters doing to you over there?" Her mother whispered, horrified. Her mother appeared to come to a snap decision then. "Get ready to go, Kagome. We're going to visit your Aunt."

Kagome blinked several times. "Uh, okay." Kagome went to take a bath and found her entire body littered markings that looked like Sesshoumaru's. Her eyes, no longer chocolate brown were as blue as the night sky. She had a crescent moon seeming to hang from the outside of each eye and a maroon stripe on each cheek just like Sesshoumaru's.

There was a crescent moon tattooed on the back of each of her hands and a blood red circle tattooed right around her wrists, a second blood red circle right above that. On her stomach she saw the jagged maroon lightning bolt stripes there, pointing to her belly button. She took note that the cut she had given her oath had healed. There was a scar in it's place.

Kagome's first thought was, oh boy it's going to be hard getting a job now. She wasn't stupid enough to think the markings would come off. They were infused with magic, doubtlessly. That had probably been what felt like being painted on the evening before. Thanks to Sesshoumaru and his oath, she now looked like a clown! She had liked her brown eyes but now they were replaced with the color of dark blue.

She would certainly give him a piece of her mind when she returned. Most definitely.

Mama left the room, leaving Kagome to scour through her closet, her muscles telling her just to lay down in the comfortable confines of her pink and blue blankets. She tried to find something to wear that she liked, but couldn't. She hated all her shirts, all her skirts, all her pants, everything! Finally, she went into the emergency clothes box she kept at the bottom of her closet.

She couldn't help but wonder where all her favorite clothes went, but was forced to drop the thought as she opened the box and took out her red silk tank top and the pair of shorts in there. The shirt had a built in bra and was supposed to be tight around the chest not the stomach.

Still, it was tighter around her chest than when she had first bought it. She must have grown. The shorts were short jean shorts, faded in color. She put on a pair of tennis shoes with white socks. She took a pair of her old kid gloves and cut the fingers off, pulling them on. They were black and still fit perfectly made of leather. She put them on to cover the crescent moons on the back of her hands and the circles on her wrists, but she also needed her fingers to be able to breath.

She did her hair up into a ponytail braiding the loose part of it and even put on some make-up. For make-up she put on some dark pink eye shadow and some eyeliner, and finally some lip-gloss. She stuck her minimal amount of make-up in her purse that she was going to take.

She looked at her arms in the mirror, shocked. They had muscle that had definitely not been there before she had fallen through the well so long ago. It was definitely muscle from all the training. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She loved getting dressed up, but it did take so long to do so. It was already five fifteen.

"Kagome, are you ready?" Mama called up the stairs to her room. "We're ready to go!"

"Almost!"

She went down the stairs and saw her grandfather getting in the front passenger side of the car. Her mother was busy shoving a bag in the trunk of the car and Souta was bouncing a racquetball on the ground, a mischievous grin on his face. Kagome went over to Souta, grinning as well.

"Thinking about something?" She asked, knowing what he was up to. Souta was a mischievous little boy when it came to their cousin. He was always trying to outdo their cousin. He had black hair cropped short, brown eyes, and was short for his age.

The young twelve year old nodded. "Just a few things. I've got a box in the back seat; you might not want to open it."

Kagome chuckled. "Present for him, is it?"

He nodded. "I put a lot of thought into it. Dude, what happened to you? You're all tattooed up."

"Get into the car you two." Mama said. "I've just got one more thing to get and we'll be on our way."

Kagome and Souta climbed into the back seat while mama went into the shrine and came back out with a box, which she shoved into the trunk. Finally they were on their way, everyone buckled up.

Kagome looked at Souta. "Well, what happened is Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's older brother, made me his second chief advisor or something like that. And then I gave some sort of oath. The paper crackled and started to electrocute me. It was...painful. Now, my whole body hurts, and I don't want to move." Kagome sighed. She didn't know exactly what being 'second chief advisor' entailed. "Don't ask me about my eyes, I have no clue why." She told him irritably.

He dropped the subject. She was obviously irritated that she lost her beautiful brown eyes. "Anyone asks you, Souta... they're color contacts. Got that?" He nodded.

**-After the car ride-**

Souta and Kagome looked up at the building that their aunt lived in. It wasn't very tall – maybe only fifty stories up or so – and their aunt only lived on the forty-fifth floor. Or at least, that was what mama had said.

"They'll have elevators." Mama assured Grandpa. They were five minutes late because they had to change elevators three times.

"I'm so sorry we're late, Atsuko!" Kagome's mother, Naomi, said as she hugged her sister. Kagome and Souta looked around their aunt's apartment. It was a nice one, certainly. After the customary pleasantries were exchanged, Kagome and Souta began rough housing and messing around like normal siblings normally do.

* * *

**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	5. Meeting with Koenma

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

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Chapter five: Meeting with Koenma

**-That afternoon, elsewhere-**

Five characters stepped out of a portal into the large paper-filled room. The first was a young woman wearing a blue school-girl uniform. She had blue hair and bubbly cheerful eyes for a person of her profession.

She was the one and only grim reaper, assigned to keep track of the recently dead spirits and help them pass into the spirit world and to keep an eye on the Spirit Detectives in the Human Realm. Her smile warmed the room up and made even the darkest corner seem bright. Her name was Botan.

She walked towards the center of the room where a blue ogre named George stood next to a large desk, upon which appeared to be a young three year old complete with pacifier. The ruler of the Spirit World was the toddler, strangely enough, and his name was Koenma. He was, despite his looks, well over three years of age.

The second one out was a tall boy in a red school outfit with long red hair that put even the red of his outfit to shame. He had the most gorgeous green eyes that held great intelligence in them. His stance housed an underlying ruthlessness to it that showed he was not just a pretty boy.

This boy's name was Shuichi Minamino, though he was more commonly called Kurama by anyone who knew of the fox demon spirit he housed in his human body. Yoko Kurama, the fox spirit, had been a thief, but eighteen years previous he had been wounded and so sought to hide in a pregnant human woman's body. His spirit fused with the spirit of the child, creating who he was then. He moved to stand by one of the stacks of paper, careful not to bump it.

The third one out was a tall boy with orange hair styled in an Elvis 'do. He was not quite the most handsome boy, but he had determination and heart. When he wanted to be he could be very sweet, and his love for kittens was unrivaled by even one who was a cat them self. His eyes were brown and he wore a blue school uniform. He was very clumsy too.

His name was Kazuma Kuwabara though most everyone called him Kuwabara if they used his name, and he had the uncanny ability to stick his foot in his mouth at the very wrong time, but other than that he was loyal to his friends and at times he could be one of the greatest allies a person could ask for. He went to stand by the open space near George. Despite the room being large, there was not much room for very many people. Space was limited due to the large piles of paper.

The fourth one out was a very short boy in black. His hair was black and seemed to defy all laws of gravity, sticking up like a flame on a candle. Equally like a flame, his hair had a streak of another color in it. The streak was blue at times, and white at other times depending on how the light hit it.

The boy was nearly a head shorter than all the others, though his hair made him taller. His name was Hiei and he wore a black cape-like coat over black lose pants and a gray t-shirt. Even his shoes were black, though it seemed everyone in the group had black shoes.

Hiei was a more self-secluded type of person. He did not often socialize unless it meant to make a particularly cutting remark at one of his fellow teammates or if he thought inputting his knowledge was important or crucial to the mission they were on. He was very intelligent, though not as intelligent as he would be if he were to socialize more with others.

The fifth member to the group was Yusuke Urameshi. He was the first of the four Spirit Detectives and the leader of them. He was a tall boy with slicked back black hair that was a little askew and two beautiful chocolate brown eyes. He was the only member of the group that had a significant other and her name was Keiko Yukimura.

Yusuke wore a green version of Kuwabara's school outfit. He was more rebellious and chose to never wear the assigned clothing. His stature showed he was tired and that he just wanted the day to end so that he could curl up and sleep comfortably on a bed somewhere.

"What do you want, toddler?" Yusuke asked, much less enthused at the moment about hearing what ever it was that Koenma had to say than any other day. His criticizing remark towards Koenma seemed less derogatory than usual too. Yusuke was slightly sick with the flu and his yawns only continued to grow. He wanted a nap.

He hadn't gone right away to see Koenma when Botan had called. He had gone home first, deciding that Koenma could wait and that no one would think to look at home for him and he would be able to nap in peace when he ran into his mother on the way into the apartment.

'_Clean up the house, Yusuke, your cousins are coming over to visit, along with your aunt and grandfather.' His mother had said, in a rush to get out of the apartment. 'I'm going to buy some more dish soap and vacuum bags. Get your room cleaned, and then clean the bathroom. I'll be back in a half hour.'_

_He couldn't understand why his mother thought he would actually clean for their aunt's visit – normally they went to visit Auntie Naomi – but when he got into the apartment, he was met with a shock. His mother's trashed up apartment was so clean, it was scary. The dishes were half done and put up to dry; the dish soap bottle, which had been full yesterday was completely gone and in the trash; there was absolutely nothing on the floor. His room and the bathroom were still very dirty, but his mother's room was completely untouched by either dust or garbage. _

'_Geez, mom, you must have been working all morning at this!' He had exclaimed. He figured he better do a little too, so he set to work on his room, picking up his dirty clothes and washing them; folding his clean clothes from the last washing and putting them away or else hanging them up; taking the garbage and throwing it away; picking up his manga collection and organizing them back on the book shelf; and making his bed. _

_When he was done with that, his mother had come home again by then and started back on the dishes, he went and switched over his laundry and putting in another load of dirty clothes that he found in the bathroom hamper. He scrubbed the toilet and bathroom floor until his already aching muscles from the pounding Hiei gave him the day before screamed in protest and still continued on after folding his clothes and putting them away and switching the clothes in the washer to the dryer. _

_When he was done with the floor, he scrubbed the nasty ring out of the tub and washed out the toothpaste clumps from the bathroom sink. When he finished that, he washed the mirror cabinet in the bathroom and dusted off the shelves in his room._

_He wanted to cry from the agony his muscles were going through then, but he had to go see Koenma and find out what he wanted. On his way out, his mother had stopped him. _

'_Thanks for your help, Yusuke.' His mother said, sober for once. 'I'd like you home by six, because they'll get here at six thirty... Okay? And Grandpa is coming over too, so please, watch your tongue tonight?'_

'_What the fu-' a sharp look from his mother stopped him from replying like he had been about to, 'I mean, why? All grandpa does is go on and on about ancient history... He doesn't notice anything else.'_

'_Please, Yusuke?' _

_The pleading note in his mother's voice made him nod his head. 'Yeah, fine, whatever.' He had said and then left. _

He had gotten home probably around one o'clock, and by the time he finished cleaning – his muscles feeling like goo – it was already four-thirty. By the time he got to the school's roof where the portal still awaited him, it was five. Normally it only took him ten minutes to get to school, but he had to force his feet to continue moving and half dragged his entire body through the portal.

So now, at five ten, he stood in front of Koenma's desk, slumped over and wishing he could just pass out right then and there. Unfortunately that would mean being unable to get home by six o'clock. Yusuke said irritably, "Koenma, just say whatever it is you have to say." He said, looking at his watch, which read five forty nine. "I've got to be home in eleven minutes, so make it quick." He wasn't sure how the time went from five ten to five forty nine in the blink of an eye. He was sure that just a second ago it was five ten.

"Alright then, your mission is this." Koenma said and then grumbled under his breath, "Though why you can't listen the first time is beyond me..." He got louder again. "A half demon has been hanging around a shrine for quite some time recently. He was brought to our attention when he destroyed an ancient Noh mask that was causing destruction with the aid of a shard of the Jewel of Four Souls, a jewel that can multiply strength and if whole, can grant the user a wish."

"But the Jewel of Four Souls was shattered over five hundred years ago." Kurama insisted. "The pieces were lost."

"Apparently you do not know the entire story." Koenma stated knowingly, pacing atop the desk. "A priestess, a half breed dog demon prince, a young fox demon pup, a monk, a demon slayer and her fire cat demon, a wolf demon prince, a phantom demon, and a dog demon lord searched long and hard for the jewel shards. Of course, not all of them were in the search party right away."

"Wait a minute, toddler. Are you saying all these guys were needed to find a few broken pieces to a jewel?" Yusuke asked, yawning again.

Hiei decided to pitch in his knowledge. "The jewel shards were thrown all over Japan. It would have been like trying to find a needle in a haystack." When the others looked at him, he shrugged. "I got bored, so I stole some files from Koenma and began reading."

"You stole from me?" Koenma shrieked. "You little thieving rat!" He hopped around angrily on the desk. George the ogre waved his arms frantically and tried to calm Koenma down.

"Koenma doesn't know what the names were. The information collected on the case was scatterbrained and everyone who was questioned on it had different names for each of the jewel hunters. The only things agreed upon were the status of the hunters."

Koenma grabbed a file from his desk and floated over to Hiei, whacking Hiei over the head with the file. "Lemme tell the story, you thief!" Hiei glared at Koenma for a moment before the young ruler of the Spirit world sat back down at his desk as though it were what he planned to do all along. Koenma was not going to admit he was unnerved by that stare. "The jewel hunters were not all together in the beginning. Most of them fought each other for years before joining forces."

"Oh! This sounds like the story my mom used to read to me!" Kuwabara shouted out. "The dog demon lord and the half breed dog demon prince fought all the time, right?" Kuwabara asked.

"Very good!" Koenma said. He picked up a treat from the desk and threw it. "Now go fetch!" Kuwabara glared at Koenma. He wasn't that stupid. Everyone knew that it was unhealthy to eat food off the ground if it wasn't in a wrapper! "Oh fine, fine." Koenma sighed. "It was worth a try."

"So, are you going to finish the story any time soon, Koenma sir?" Botan asked. She began playing with her hair, wishing she'd put it up in a ponytail. She had the absent thought of getting it cut but wasn't sure if she'd like short hair.

"OF COURSE I AM!" Koenma shouted. "Now where was I?" He looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "Ah yes. Well, to simplify things up, they joined forces, beat the evil demon who was collecting the shards, then the jewel and the strange priestess disappeared from history it seems!"

"So they didn't get all the jewel shards after all?" Kurama asked. He looked thoughtful. "Because if there was a shard in the Noh mask then this demon could be using that shard to become stronger."

"Do we have any other information on him?" Kuwabara asked intelligently, though his intelligence was thrown off when he tipped over, bumping into George who bumped into a stack of papers which began to tip and created a domino effect in the room. All the piles tipped over, trapping everyone in the room under a mountain of paper except Yusuke, who had been standing in front of the portal out of the room, and Koenma, who was saved by his chair and being so small.

"**WELL WE HAD A PICTURE BUT NOW YOU IDIOT WENT AND MESSED UP THE ROOM! GEORGE, START CLEANING THIS PLACE UP!"** Koenma yelled.

Yusuke looked at his watch. He was an hour late for dinner! He did wonder about the point of the mission. Was the demon bothering the girl? Or friends with the girl? Did they know the situation enough to barge in there and eliminate the demon? From what he had seen not all demons were bad. Misguided maybe, but humans could be just as bad as demons.

**-Atsuko's Apartment-**

It was two hours before Yusuke, their cousin, arrived. He looked tired. "You're late!" Atsuko admonished her son. "I'm sure you have a great explanation?"

Kagome looked at her cousin. He had really changed since she had last seen him. That had been years ago, before she had fallen down the well. Yusuke thought likewise of Kagome. His eyes widened as he stared at what appeared to be tattoos littering her body, cut off gloves, a rebellious quirk to her jaw, a defiant stance...

He wondered if he had even entered the right apartment, but he had seen Souta just recently so he must be. Come to think of it, Kagome had been away from the shrine when they visited. He wondered to where. "Not really." Yusuke said. He saw the bruising on her legs leading to her inner thighs and crotch and the black eye.

"Hey Yusuke." Kagome said. "You look a bit exhausted. What've you been up to?"

"I could ask the same thing to you." He grumbled. She blinked at the comment. "I'm going to bed. I'll skip supper." Yusuke said. He left and entered his room, sliding the door shut behind him.

"Can we stay the night?" Souta begged. "Please?"

* * *

**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	6. Tie Her to the Future

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

_

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Chapter six: Tie Her to the Future

**-Later that night-**

"Atsuko, I thank you for this favor. I've already had Kagome transferred; now all there is left to do would be to tell her. I just don't think that she's able to concentrate – you know why, I've told you about it before." Naomi said her voice and face laden with the sadness she felt at making such a difficult decision. Giving up one's child was a tough choice to make. Lying about the reason to her sister was even harder.

Atsuko smiled encouragingly at her sister. "Don't worry, Naomi. I'll make sure she's taken care of. And Yusuke'll take care of her too. But from what you told me, she might not be too happy about it."

"I honestly do doubt it. She's running with a dangerous crowd... a gang. I'm hoping that by her staying, you and Yusuke can straighten her out."

If she was to stay in the past, then she would never be born, and she would never be able to make it to the point where she gets pulled through the well – hence she would never be able to have met the boy in the first place.

And if he was to stay in this time era, his reincarnation – if he has one – wouldn't be able to be born. It would be disastrous. And besides that, because he's so different, there are shameful people out there who would want to experiment on him if they got their hands on him. The boy doesn't deserve that – not with the sorrow I see in his eyes.

He's lost so much already, or so Kagome has told me. He lost his mother at a young age, and the woman he loved was killed, but just before she died, she killed him, pinning him to the God tree with an enchanted arrow through the heart. It's sad, but I feel that this is the best way...

These were Naomi's thoughts as she woke Souta and Grandpa up in the middle of the night and they left Kagome at Atsuko's house. Naomi didn't want to live knowing her child would be the one to make time falter. She'd have to find something to tie her to the future. It was important that she did.

Atsuko nodded. "Don't worry, Naomi. Kagome will be fine here." Naomi had difficulty thinking that Kagome would really be fine. The boy, Inuyasha, would want to search for Kagome. Naomi would do anything to keep him from finding her until she had something tying her to this time period.

**-Next morning-**

Kagome winced as she sat up. She lay on a futon in her aunt's room. Her bruising was starting to fade slightly, but not much and it still hurt. Kagome looked around. She saw no one there.

Quickly she changed out of the pajamas that Atsuko had borrowed her into her clothes from the previous day and then exited her aunt's room and looked around for any sign of other living life forms. Again, she saw no one. She did see a large pile of her things in the middle of the floor though.

Walking over to the pile she saw a note pinned to it. It read:

Kagome, I know you will be upset with me, but you are staying at Atsuko's now. You are living with her. You are going to school with Yusuke. – Love, Mama

Kagome crumpled the letter. She was angry. Had Souta had a part in this?

'_Can we stay the night... please?'_

This wouldn't keep Kagome from the well! Didn't they know she trekked over half of Japan during the feudal era, fighting demons, getting beat near death, dying once even! All of it was for a single cause. It was for her responsibility! Why couldn't they understand that?

"Yo, Kags." She heard Yusuke's voice from behind her. She looked back at him. He was dressed in pretty much the same thing as the day before. The green outfit. "Why are you still here?"

"I guess I live here now." Kagome muttered. She glared at the crumpled note and then threw it at the floor as though that would do something productive and get her back to the shrine. It didn't. She regretted coming back even more now.

"What's with the bruises?" Yusuke questioned. Kagome ignored him and walked right out the door, slamming it behind her. She headed to the roof of the expansive, very tall building. She hoped getting higher up would allow her to see the well. It didn't, of course. Why had she expected it would?

The only thing she could think of to relieve stress was hand-to-hand combat, practicing it. She practiced on a wall and bloodied her fists.

There had to be a way to get back to the shrine. She just wasn't thinking of it at the moment. How could she get back to the shrine? Walk? No, she'd get lost. Tokyo was far too big with too many corners. A cab? No, she really didn't have the money.

"Are you trying to break your hand?" A voice above her asked her. She yelped and fell backwards, landing on her rump. Glaring at the intruder, she saw a red-eyed demon sitting atop the chimneystack she had been previously taking her anger out on. "Because if you are, then I won't bother you."

She looked at her hands. The kid gloves had worn through and her knuckles were bleeding. A white kerchief floated down to her and landed on her knee. She looked up and saw the demon staring up at the sky, leaning back slightly. A few moments before, his hair had been sticking straight up. Now, his hair had fallen like an upside down mop. She couldn't see his forehead now.

"Thanks." She said irritably, taking the kerchief and dabbing at the blood. When she stood and went to hand the kerchief back, the boy was no longer there. He had disappeared. She had been correct in her assumption that he was a demon because he was nowhere on the roof of the apartment building.

Still, the sun continued to shine and the birds continued to chirp. Nothing, absolutely nothing about the day reflected her mood. Sour.

* * *

**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	7. Planned Desertion

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

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Chapter seven: Planned Desertion

**-Monday-**

Kagome soon found that her mother really did have this planned for quite some time. Atsuko cleaned out the third bedroom for Kagome and Kagome's things were moved from the trunk of the car to the third bedroom. Kagome found that her mother had packed all her favorite clothes, all her schoolbooks, and some of her things from the feudal era up and brought all that along. Here weapons were not there, so she couldn't do as Sesshoumaru had asked.

So, Kagome unpacked in her new temporary room, having a new bed to make since Atsuko had given her red sheets and black comforter and pillowcases for the bed, a new dresser and closet to fill, a new bookshelf to litter, and a new desk to clutter. Her mother had at least been smart and didn't forget to pack the shards of the jewel of four souls. Kagome set those on her desk, right next to her silver desk lamp.

Kagome looked around her room when she had finished unpacking. The closet was full of clothes that required to be hung up. The bottom three drawers to the dresser were filled with clothes that required be folding and putting away – including Kagome's towels and wash clothes were in there. The top two drawers were filled with Kagome's various healing herbs and poisonous plants—each one either bottled up in a glass bottle or else in little clothes bags—some were even ground up after having been dried.

The bookshelf was littered with various charms that Kagome had made with Kaede over the years, and it even had a few rosary bead necklaces like the one that Inuyasha wore. The shelves also held some of Grandpa's old spell books, ones that he had given to Kagome in hopes that she would read them and aspire to become a shrine-girl.

Next to the book shelf was a door that went out into the hallway – this room was meant to be another apartment, but halfway through making it, people changed their minds and just added a door to the main apartment instead of an entire kitchen and bathroom.

On the desk were Kagome's schoolbooks, all lined up neatly at the back of the desk, standing in between two book holders shaped like cats. Her pens and pencils were in the middle top desk drawer. Her notebooks were in the top left desk drawer. A few random things were in the other desk drawers.

When Kagome stood from the bed after looking around, she sighed. She had school. It still made her really angry that seemingly everyone except her was in on this little 'transfer'. Kagome guessed it would be a week at most until Inuyasha got angry and came for her. So that was a week that she would have to deal with the modern era before she could return home.

Wait... when did she start thinking of the feudal era as home? Sighing, she grabbed one of the books her grandfather had given her. She might as well use study hall productively and begin fulfilling her promise to Sesshoumaru. But she didn't want to wait a week. He had to come get her early because Sesshoumaru's true coronation was in a week. With a grunt, she exited her new "room".

She wished she was back at Kaede's village, arguing with Inuyasha; watching Sango and other villagers slap Miroku for his incessant groping; keeping Shippou from being beaten up by Inuyasha; watching Seirra get into debates with Sesshoumaru over political issues; watching Inuyasha and Kouga argue over her; heck, she even missed training with Sesshoumaru, Kouga, and Inuyasha already and it had only been a couple days.

Stop wishing; it won't change anything! She berated herself, getting up to go shower. She took off her dirty clothes, putting them in the dirty laundry hamper and wrapped a towel around her body, exiting her room to go to the bathroom, knowing that no one would be up. Her new clock had said it was five thirty am, so she'd doubted that her Aunt would be up, and Yusuke was the type to sleep till noon in most cases.

She showered, unable to bathe because there was no bath. It was just a shower. Soon as she was done, she dried off mostly so that she wasn't tracking water all through the apartment, and went back to her room, dressing. She put on a black tank top; layering that with a second tank top, gray in color. She put on the slightly torn gloves to hide the tattoos.

Her pants were loose around the legs and form fitting around her waist, black in color. She brushed her hair and left her room, looking in the cupboards for something healthy to eat for breakfast. She saw minimal healthy food, and frowned. "Doesn't Aunt know how to read health labels?" She wondered aloud when she saw that nearly everything was junk food.

Kagome shoved her new set of keys in her pocket. She was not going to listen to her mother. Her mother gave her away, despite she knew of her responsibilities. Her mother would expect her to pay attention in school. So what? She wasn't going to.

An arm slung around her shoulder and she looked at her cousin Yusuke with an annoyed look. Something in her cracked—her heart?—and she found no reason to be argumentative. She could take whatever was thrown her way. She could, and she would. She would find a way to make it back to the well, before the coronation ceremony. She would not be the one to disappoint Sesshoumaru.

"So, cous; what's this about a gang?" Yusuke asked her. "Mom says to keep an eye on you because you hang with dangerous people." Kagome looked at Yusuke. He kept his hair slicked back with gel. Kagome's own wet hair was down so that it could dry. It soaked the back of her tank tops but she didn't mind. What she did mind was the bruising that was still on her inner thighs.

"Someone's got to do it." Kagome muttered, shrugging him off her. She grabbed one of Atsuko's bottled waters—about the only thing in the entire apartment that was healthy—and twisted the top off, downing much of the contents in one gulp. Her mind moved to the feudal era; to the place that had become her life in the past few years.

"You're really involved in a gang?" Yusuke's eyes widened. "You? And what's with the tattoos?" Kagome didn't answer him. She picked up her broken backpack and made her way to the apartment door. "Kagome!" He yelled.

"What?" She stopped with her hand on the doorknob. "You're wasting my time." She almost winced at the sound of her voice. To her, she sounded pretty well close to the emotionless Sesshoumaru. What had caused this drastic change? Was it the oath? That had changed her eye color not just once, but twice now. They were a light blue now instead of dark blue.

Kagome felt abandoned by her family. Maybe that was it? She had always said that nothing like that could happen to her. But perhaps she was taking it better than most because she hardly even knew her family anymore. Her family was in the feudal era. All she had to do was make it to the well. Find someone with a car who would give her the ride for free.

He followed her to the door. "I'm supposed to walk with you." That was it? All he wanted to do was make sure she didn't leave without him? With an inaudible sigh, she just left. He could catch up if he wanted. She headed for the elevator, pushing the down button. "You're comin' to my school?" She heard him say when he caught up. Kagome nodded. "Oh, well then I'll introduce you to a few people who are okay to hang out with."

Kagome felt her mood lighten suddenly. It was almost as if Yusuke had unknowingly lifted a burden off her shoulders. Her whole family didn't give up on her! At least, it seemed that way. She chuckled a bit and said, "Still protective of me, just like when we were little, eh Yusuke?"

Yusuke had a grim look on his face, as he looked her over while they walked to school. He hadn't bothered to grab a backpack or anything, she'd noticed. "You're a lot better looking than the last time I saw you." He told her. "You're hotter. I'm not going to let some bozo come hit on my cousin who is weak and frail." He grinned then, playfully.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Now, Yusuke, if I'm supposedly involved in a gang, don't you think I'd have been taught to fight and defend myself at least to some extent?" She watched him think about that as cars drove by on the street. People walked by with briefcases, dogs, cats, shopping bags, and rode by on bicycles.

"Good point." He said suddenly. "But still; I'm your cous, so it's still my job to protect you."

_"Just shut up and let me protect you!" Inuyasha had shouted that first fight against Sesshoumaru._

Kagome gave Yusuke a forced smile. "Thanks." Inuyasha... She added mentally.

As they talked, 'catching up' on what they'd been up to in the past few years since seeing each other (both omitting many things like being a Spirit Detective and/or traveling back and forth through a well to the Feudal Era), Kagome's mind wandered back to Inuyasha. She missed him a lot. She hoped he came for her soon. She wanted to see him. He was her first love, and even if she couldn't be with him; just seeing him was enough.

She knew that up against weaponry of the future, he would be at a loss. Half-demon or not, he would probably die against modern weaponry since he wouldn't know what he was up against, or else he would end up in a lab somewhere, poked, prodded, and pinned to a scratch board and tortured while scientists cut him up and experimented on him.

"Are you even listening to me Kagome?" Yusuke asked irritably.

Kagome threw herself back to reality. "Oh, sorry. Something caught my attention. What were you saying?"

* * *

**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	8. Dropped Soup Cup

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

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Chapter eight: Dropped Soup Cup

**-First period-**

Kagome's first class of the day was History. She walked into the room, a smile on her face. The teacher, 'Mr. Hakima', was a substitute that day for the real teacher, it seemed. Mr. Hakima introduced Kagome to the class, and Kagome grimaced inwardly at the faces on half of the class. The boys were drooling and the girls were looking murderous. 'What did I do to them?' She wondered. 'Did I do anything at all?'

"Class, this is Kagome Higurashi. She just transferred here from Harui school." Mr. Hakima said, smiling. "Go ahead, say a few words about yourself, miss Higurashi."

Kagome gulped. 'What to tell?' She felt her face turn down in a frown but didn't attempt to revive the smile. "My name is Kagome Lynn Higurashi..." She said, not saying any more. Mr. Hakima only said to say a few words.

Mr. Hakima chuckled. "Thank you, miss Higurashi." He said. "You may sit between Mr. Akira and his sister." He said, pointing to two twins in the back of the room. Both of them had chocolate brown eyes, tan skin that was darker than any normal Japanese, a mess of black hair, though the girls was longer than the boys, and both of them had red and silver highlights in their hair. They both wore all black, the girl with heavy black make up on her face.

Kagome bowed respectfully to the teacher and went and sat in between the boy and the girl. The girl turned to Kagome flashing a smirk. "You're new, eh?"

Kagome nodded. She took the priestess book from her broken backpack and set it on the desk, opening it, but she kept an ear on the girl and what she was saying.

"Alright, I'm Sheena." She said. "My brother's name is Haru."

"I'm Kagome."

Haru looked Kagome up and down, or as much as he could while she was sitting. "Nice ass." He said, smirking. He leaned forward and pinched Kagome's butt.

Kagome blinked. "Um... do you mind?" She said, not wanting to up and slap this boy, but at the same time wanting to do it.

Haru chuckled and let her go. "Just wanted to see if was as firm as your legs make it seem it will be."

"Are you satisfied?" Kagome asked, curious.

Haru nodded. "Yes. So, Kagome, where you comin' from?"

Sheena rolled her eyes. "You idiot. If you were paying attention, you would have realized that Mr. Hakima had said she was from Harui school district."

Haru chuckled. "Harui, huh? Well, it just so happens that I wasn't paying attention to Mr. Hakima. He doesn't deserve my attention. He's not a female, and he's not Mr. Akira."

"Yeah…" Sheena said, starry-eyed. "Mr. Akira is so hot, and yummy too!"

"Who is Mr. Akira?" Kagome asked.

Haru chuckled. "He's the real teacher of this class. He knows a lot of history and he explains it like he actually was there. He teaches a class mainly on Feudal Era, which is really cool. Sheena and I are in that class. Are you?"

Kagome took out her schedule and looked at it; surprised to see she was indeed enrolled. "I guess so."

"You'll have to work really hard. Mr. Akira is really cool, but he's also very strict. If you can't keep a B average in that class, you are dropped from it." Sheena pointed out. She flipped her hair behind her shoulder.

Haru nodded. "This one isn't a required class, so people fail out of it all the time. Its just the regular history class."

"Why is Mr. Akira not here?" Kagome asked. The rest of the class began talking as the end of the class period ended. It appeared if there was a substitute, no one paid attention.

Haru shrugged. "He's sick." Kagome saw in the back of the room there were several people trying to climb out the window.

Sheena smiled. "I love his hair."

Haru chuckled. "He's a really cool guy."

Kagome blinked. "Wow... From the sounds of it, you two have high respects for this guy."

Haru grinned. "Well, yeah. Mr. Akira practically raised us!"

"So he's your dad or something?"

Sheena shook her head. "Naw. He adopted us, but when we're in school, we're supposed to call him Mr. Akira. He's weird like that."

Kagome nodded, but really didn't understand, but for the sake of conversation, she would pretend. Unfortunately, Haru and Sheena could tell she didn't understand. Haru pinched her bottom with a grin. "I'll explain. We were orphaned at age three, and our dad knew Mr. Akira so before he passed on, he asked Mr. Akira to care for us as though we were his own."

Kagome raised an eyebrow at them both. "Mr. Akira is like a father to you both, and you take passes at him? What kind of relationship do you have with them exactly?"

Mr. Hakima was currently trying to get the attention of the class, but was failing to do so. "Excuse me! Excuse me! Class, please, everyone would you please settle down and listen to me?" But to no avail. No one would pay attention to him. People were throwing paper airplanes around, and somehow his bottom had been glued to the chair so he couldn't get up.

At the end of class, Kagome realized she really hadn't done any reading, so just put the book away. The three walked out of the room and Kagome vaguely wondered if Yusuke had gone to class. Haru said, a hand snaking around Kagome's waist, "Kagome, you and my sister are two very gorgeous women, who'll have to fend off guys at every step, so I've got to keep my eye on you two!" His other hand went around Sheena's shoulders.

Kagome blinked. "Um... but she looks exactly like you. Don't you have that problem too?"

Haru smirked. "That's exactly why she has that problem; it's 'cause I'm so good lookin'!"

Kagome and Sheena laughed and both shrugged away from Haru, though it was more difficult for Kagome since Haru's arm was around her waist and not on her shoulders. She picked herself carefully from his grasp, unable to fend off a small laugh when he smirked and tickled her stomach.

Sheena chuckled and helped Kagome out of Haru's grip. "Come on, Haru. Leave Kagome alone."

Haru sighed and then pecked Kagome a kiss on the cheek. He grinned like a madman when she blushed. "You're a crazy woman. Crazy sexy." Why couldn't Inuyasha be like Haru? Why couldn't he be so forward?

**-That evening-**

Kagome tossed her broken backpack in her room and went to try finding something to eat. Yusuke stumbled into the apartment, huffing and puffing. "Dang you're fast." He said. "I didn't even see you leave the school."

"Oops." Kagome said simply. She made herself a Ramen Soup Cup. It was basically the only thing there if the truth was to be told. "Look, I'm sure you've got a life you want to live. Just do it." She put the cup in the microwave and set it for two minutes, letting the water cook the noodles inside the Styrofoam container.

"Fine. But no contact with your gang buddies."

"Gotcha."

Kagome walked with her chopsticks and cooked soup cup to the door, exiting it to go to the roof again. She didn't expect to meet anyone there and so wasn't surprised when she saw the place was empty as could be. She sat on the edge of the building overlooking the city. The building was sixty floors up, so she could see fairly far. She sat in silence, watching birds fly overhead calling out and the clouds drift across the skies. The wind toyed with her long hair, dragging it away from her body.

"You sit there and someone could easily shove you off." Kagome was startled by the sudden voice and in order to keep her balance, she dropped her chopsticks and soup cup, falling backwards off the railing onto her back.

"Ow." She muttered. She glared at the intruder and saw it was the same boy as the day before. Did he live in the building too?

"It seems you make it a habit to fall over." He said casually. She saw his hair was sticking straight up again; there was a new kerchief over his forehead as though that were a new style. He wore more black than either Haru or Sheena put together. "Do you enjoy that, or are you just that clumsy?"

Kagome sat up and looked over the edge. "You owe me a lunch." She told him. When she looked back at him, she saw him shrug. "I'm serious. That was my lunch. I didn't eat lunch today. I had to study."

"Well, unfortunately I do not make it a habit to feed idiots who cannot even keep a hold of their own food." He told her.

Kagome's stomach growled at the loss of being fed. "You're the one who made me drop it though!" When she saw him smirking, she realized he was baiting her so she sighed and let it go. Her mother would expect her to rise to the 'occasion' as it were. All she had to do was keep thinking just a few more days. Friday would be the coronation ceremony. Inuyasha would come before then to get her.

But it was only Monday!

She turned away from the boy for a moment and then turned back. When she did, he was gone. She sighed and went to continue studying the priestess book. "You'll come back." She swore to the bare skies ever darkening as the sun set. She was confident that the boy would. For whatever reason, Kagome knew that troubled people came to her. Sometimes they didn't know why, and sometimes they did. She'd make a mint if she ever decided to be a Psychiatrist.

Kagome had spent hours later that night studying the priestess book and learning absolutely nothing from it. She couldn't understand half of it. She wasn't about to pretend she was the brightest apple in the bag. She hadn't realized how much math was involved in being a priestess. Maybe that was why Inuyasha always said she would never make a good priestess.

Her room became stifling and she found she didn't want to be in it anymore. She slapped the book shut and changed into a skirt that would, by most means, be considered indecent, then left the apartment through the door connecting her room to the hallway and went up to the roof. Her muscles were still tired but after examining the roof to be sure that no one was there, she began practicing her gymnastics.

The skirt made it easier to maneuver her legs than the pants she had worn earlier that day. It only went barely to her thighs. She had gotten the skirt a few years earlier and since she had grown, it was now very short.

Kagome began with stretches, warming up her muscles to the idea of practicing. Sesshoumaru would have been disappointed in her if she didn't at least practice something. Even if she couldn't practice her swordsmanship since she didn't have her sword, she could still practice her hand-to-hand and her gymnastics.

After her warm-ups, she did a few of the easier routines that Seirra had taught her. The first was a succession of cartwheels. Before the feudal era, she could never get enough momentum to pull off a cartwheel. Now, she could say she could. After that, she did some of the other routines, slowly working her way towards the most recently learned back flip routine.

Unfortunately, as her unfunny luck would have it, she didn't manage to pull off the flip and found herself face down on the ground, wincing as her body ached.

* * *

**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	9. Naked in the Rain

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

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Chapter nine: Naked in the Rain

"You're very amusing." Kagome looked up at the little red-eyed demon boy. "You cannot get something so easy as a back flip off?" She stared at him. The lights on the top of the roof allowed her to see that he was sitting casually on top of the chimneystack with one knee jutting up into the air and the other leg hanging down over the side. Something about him attracted Kagome and yet at the same time something about him annoyed her.

Perhaps it was the fact that he so easily sounded like Sesshoumaru. "Oh, and I suppose you can?"

"Indeed."

Kagome sat up on her knees. She glared at him. "Then prove it."

He rose to the challenge like anyone would. He jumped down off the chimneystack, turned his back to her, and despite the heavy black cloak he wore, he performed a perfect back flip, and then another, and then another. He stopped when he was right next to her, kneeling beside her. A smirk graced his face. "Proven."

Kagome was gaping open mouthed at him. She blinked several times, but all she could think of was "wow". She was wowed.

"The tattoos." He paused, making sure he had her attention. "What inspired those designs?"

"I get more stares over these markings than I would if I ran about naked in the rain." Kagome grimaced at the analogy. "Er. Ignore that comment."

"I assure you, you would get more stares if you did that." He pointed to the sky. "I believe it is about to rain, so you could test that theory."

Kagome sighed. She couldn't help but think, Pervert. When it started to rain, Kagome didn't bother to go in. She got up and continued trying to complete the back flip. Ten minutes and many aches and groans later, it had started to downpour, so she intended to go in then, but noticed the boy was still there. He wasn't looking at her. He was staring off into space—a grand thing to be able to do in a day and age that they lived in. Kagome always got yelled at for doing that in the Feudal Era.

Kagome was soaked by the time she made it over to the boy. "Do you want to get out of the rain?" she asked him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. She noticed that he was a half-foot shorter than her. Well, at least someone was shorter than her!

She watched him look at her. His hair was beginning to fall because of the rain. It was strange. The two different hairstyles made him look completely different. It was amazing. When he said nothing, she grabbed his arm and insisted he get out of the rain. After all, he could get a cold!

"Come on, my apartment's in this building. Okay, it's not mine exactly, more it's my aunts." The rain was still soaking the two and Kagome guessed it was well after midnight.

"You don't even know my name, yet you're offering me shelter?" He quirked an eyebrow at her and she grinned ruefully.

"You don't know my name either, so that makes us even." When he blinked, she knew she had him cornered. "I figure when you're ready to let me know your name, you will."

She took his hand, twining her fingers through his and began to pull him towards the elevator building. Kagome pushed for the 45th floor and they went down. She did realize that his hand was still entwined with hers but did nothing about it. His hand made her feel better because of the fact that he was a demon and she knew it, though she knew he didn't know that she knew it. Which was a funny and long statement.

Besides the fact that his hand comforted her because it made her feel closer to the Feudal Era and where she placed her true heart and home, she knew that he, for whatever was bothering him, either needed or wanted that comfort. Whichever it was, she was confident that he would mention whatever it was to her.

She unlocked the door that connected her room to the hallway and let him in, closing and locking the door behind her. The reason she let go of his hand was so that she could grab his black trench coat and help him out of it. Obviously that was too much help from her, because he grabbed her wrists and stopped her, twisting easily out of her grip.

"Suit yourself. I was just going to help you hang it up." Kagome whispered, not wanting her Aunt or Yusuke to wake up and think the boy was a member of her 'gang'. Of course, by hiding him if they ever did find out they might really think that he was. Which would be bad. Very bad. Especially after she made that foolhardy promise not to meet her 'gang' members anymore.

Well, when she finally made it back to the past, she fully intended to stay there. After all, she wouldn't make a very good second chamber reviser—or whatever it had been that Sesshoumaru called it—if she wasn't even there. Kagome turned her back to him, walking to her small dresser. She grabbed a pair of pajama bottoms out and pulled them on, then took off the skirt.

Changing with others around was something she learned to get over quickly. Once Sesshoumaru had joined the group, there was no more going off alone to the hot springs or moving away from the group to change clothes. More often than not it was Seirra or Sango who went with Kagome, but a couple times the two of them had been busy and so she'd had to deal with changing with one of the guys nearby. Either way, someone was always around.

"You can hang the coat on a hanger in the closet." Kagome told him as she began to pull off her tank tops with her back to him. At least the boy wasn't trying to feel her up like Miroku had been the time he'd come with her. That had been a very awkward situation. Perverts were very difficult to deal with at times.

"Why are you so nice?" She heard the boy ask her in an equally quiet voice. "It's uncanny."

Kagome pulled on a pajama top that read **Yu-Gi-Oh ate my homework **with a rather insane looking Yu-Gi on it. She turned to him and grinned. "I'm just that way. Go ahead; hang up your coat. I'm not going to raid your pockets." She began to wring out her hair over the carpeting. Her green eyes flickered with another color, he saw, but she appeared not to notice. His movements were slightly unsure as he made his way towards the closet and began to take off the coat.

She smiled at his back. Even she had no clue what made it so that others were so comfortable in her presence but there was something that did that for her and allowed her to become what she knew of herself as the confidant. She listened to the problems that others had and she patiently helped them sort out and understand them; cope with them. The boy wanted to talk; she would be there for him. It didn't matter to her if she knew him or he knew her.

Sometimes it was easier to talk to a stranger than it was to talk to someone who they knew. Sometimes that stranger was someone who they just met on a train or a plane or the subway and who they would most likely never see again. Sometimes it was a stranger who they would meet later on in life. Either way, it helped to get things off one's mind.

Kagome watched as he hung up his coat separate from her clothes so it would not get the clothes wet. She walked over and took the jewel shards from the desktop and put them in the top drawer, out of sight, out of mind. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. She trusted everyone, to some extent. Even Naraku.

She could honestly say she trusted Naraku. She trusted Naraku to create trouble and to try to get the entire Jewel of Four Souls. But the Jewel shards' beauty called out to the deepest place in a person's heart whether they were demon or human and brought out either the worst or the best. She wasn't about to find out what it would bring out in the nameless boy.

Then, Kagome sat down at the desk and turned to the book once more trying to teach her to be a priestess. The math was ridiculous if she was any judge. Ridiculous and hard.

* * *

**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	10. Choke on Water

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

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Chapter ten: Choke on Water

Hiei took a seat on the edge of her bed. He wasn't sure what had called him to her, but something made him sure of the fact that he could talk to her and she wouldn't repeat anything to a soul. Something inside him, some deep gut instinct told him that he could trust her. There weren't very many times that he felt that trust.

For a moment, he stared at her back, at the damp hair that soaked her aqua colored tee shirt. How could any being seem so nice? In a world filled with hate, distrust, and evil, she was like a spark of light. The previous Saturday when he had first seen her up on that roof, she'd been so mad at something that her fists just continued their barrage against the chimneystack. She hadn't caused any damage to the building, but she certainly managed to damage her hands.

Those hands were scabbed over now, but he'd taken off his bandana and tossed it down to her so she could stop the bleeding. Of course, nothing was completely pure. Even the most beautiful diamond would have flaws somewhere, even if they were naked to the visible eye. Hiei wondered what upset her and at the time, wondered if he could do anything to help her not be upset.

The second time he had met her on the roof, which was earlier that day, was when he had actually gone looking for her. He wanted to see if she would be there again. He wanted to see if the woman whose entire body language screamed "confidant" would still be there. She had been there.

The third time, just a few hours before, he had gone back, intent to wait until she returned the next day. It was to be a long wait, but he had been prepared for it. Waiting wasn't anything new for him. Instead, she had been there. She had been trying to do a back flip. He had almost lost his composure and just laughed when he saw her fail. It was an amusing sight.

Hiei wondered if she would mind listening to what he had to say. He just didn't know if it would be right to ask. In this world filled with distrust, it was hard to find the words, or to start speaking.

"_I figure when you're ready to let me know your name, you will."_

Her words left an imprint in his mind. She trusted him, even though he was a stranger. Even though she did not know his name, or who he was. She confused him, but he also understood that someone like her was important. She would be used, manipulated, beaten, bruised. There would be nothing she would be able to do about this, and he knew this too. But she wouldn't lose who she was. He was positive she wouldn't.

"My mother sent me here to live with my aunt, claiming that I was involved in a gang." He heard her say. "She wrote in her note to me, 'Kagome, you'll be staying here now. You'll go to school with your cousin.' The strangest part is, I couldn't imagine just the day before what my friend had gone through when his family was thrown out. Now, I sort of know. It hurts; it hurts a lot." Kagome stared down at her notebook where she had been writing notes. She began to doodle on it, drawing a vague picture of the Jewel of Four Souls on its original rosary.

Hiei wondered at her story. It was like his, in a way, he supposed. He, too, was cast out by his family. He spoke finally. Her speaking and admittance made him realize that perhaps it didn't matter what he said. If he said something, it would be a start. When he started, he was surprised to find his voice was very shaky. There was nothing he could do to strengthen it.

"I have a sister. She is my twin. I was born, and my mother abandoned me, basically. I didn't get that chance to meet my sister, but I almost feel connected to her and I finally found her just recently. I can't find the words to admit who I am, or to ask to be a part of her life." He wasn't sure what about her drew him to speaking openly, but there was something there. He wanted to know what, but figured even she probably didn't understand. Maybe it was the air of knowledge that seemed to be around her.

Kagome turned in the chair to look at him, her drawing only half finished. "You're confused? First you should identify what confuses you. What is there that you don't understand about her, or yourself, that stops you from speaking with her?"

He sighed. "I don't know. If I knew, I probably wouldn't be asking you." He began to shift uncomfortably. Her eyes seemed to be looking straight into his very soul. He wondered if that was how people felt when he put the force of his Jagan eye on them.

"I can't pretend to know. I wouldn't even if I could. The secret, the answer, lies within you and your sister. How honest you are to first yourself, and then to your sister will determine whether or not you're meant to know your sister in more than a passing glance relationship. If you don't want to be a passing glance, then it is up to you to make it that way." She smiled and stood, walking over to him.

She knelt by the bed and looked at him straight in the eyes. "You're the only one—the only one—who can find that answer, especially if she does not know who you are. There are those, such as myself, who might poke and prod you into the right direction, but the final decision remains yours, ultimately." She kissed his forehead, just as she had for Sesshoumaru, and felt the lid of his closed third eye. She realized it was there, but didn't let it show on her face or person. When he was ready to admit it was there, that was up to him.

Hiei was startled when she kissed his Jagan eye. She didn't act repulsed, so he guessed she didn't realize it was there. "Your help is appreciated." He said quietly, looking at anywhere but her face. He felt far more relaxed than he had ever expected to be around her or anyone. Confiding in her had actually taken out more from him than he had thought, and he felt tired.

"You can sleep here the rest of the night." Kagome told him. She grinned. "At least the sheets are black and red, instead of pink and baby blue." She was pleased to be able to get a small smile from him as she stood and went back to her desk, grabbing her books and heading out into the living room of the apartment. She closed the bedroom door and set her things up on the coffee table. She, instead of sleeping, stayed up the rest of the evening trying to make sense of the mathematics involved in being a priestess.

**-Next day-**

Kagome woke to the poking and prodding of someone waking her up. She sat up; groaning as her muscles protested the movement after a long night slouched over a coffee table and books, and an even longer evening before that practicing back flips. "Kags, wake up."

She looked at Yusuke with a sort of half-hearted groan. "You're really annoying." She informed him, to receive a grin from her cousin. Yusuke was older than her, but not by much. She was simply a few months younger. She was to be eighteen in quite literally a few days, and he had his birthday previously a few months.

"Yeah, I do try." He ran his hand through his hair. He hadn't slicked it back yet, but would get there. "Hey, what's all this stuff?" He peered at her books and the attempted notes and equations she was trying to commit to memory without success. "Math?"

"Something like that. Ugh, so sleepy." She leaned back against the couch and let her eyes droop. She heard her aunt Atsuko shuffling around in the kitchen and realized how late it was. She sat bolt upright and began to gather her things. If Atsuko was getting ready for work that meant it was noon already. She hurriedly got her things together. It hadn't taken very long to figure out Atsuko's schedule. She'd had it down already by Sunday.

She wasn't surprised to find the boy gone from her room when she entered it. She wondered if he found the answer he sought and if she would ever see him again, then threw that away. She probably wouldn't see him again considering the fact that when Inuyasha came to get her, she would be staying in the past. She had already made up her mind.

Yusuke was laughing at her as she stumbled around the apartment, hopping around as she tried to put on her socks and shoes and do her hair at the same time. When she fell over, she yelped and found the wound she'd given to herself when she bit her lip through cracked open again. It wasn't pleasant when her mouth filled with blood.

As hastily as she could she got a washcloth and put it to her lip to soak up the blood. Either way, she still would go to school. Perhaps she might be able to help some people clear up some issues before she disappeared all together from modern Japan to appear completely in the past. Finally Kagome had her broken backpack together books shoved inside it crudely, and was ready to go.

"Why'd you wait for me?" Kagome asked Yusuke in the elevator. The elder cousin just shrugged. "Don't worry, I won't be here long." Kagome assured him. "Then you won't have to baby sit me."

The elevator doors opened and two people entered, both elderly women. Yusuke looked at Kagome, confused slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said," Kagome ran a hand through her wet ponytail. Today, she had gone with a theme much like the day before, only instead this time she wore a gray under tank top and a red over tank. Her pants and shoes were the same. She wanted to prove to her mother that she wasn't just a mindless drone. She wouldn't just obey everything she said. She would make it to the past again! She would see Sesshoumaru become King.

The elevator doors opened again and another person entered, their black hair rather scraggly. Kagome almost smiled as she realized it was the boy she still didn't know the name of. The elevator doors closed and the descent began again, only to open a few floors down and the elderly ladies exited. The doors closed and Yusuke pushed the lock button on the door panel. He had apparently not noticed the red-eyed demon.

Yusuke turned to Kagome, blocking her against the wall. "Kagome," Yusuke's voice held a warning in it, but she just smiled at her cousin. The boy stood in the corner staring curiously from one cousin to the other, noticing the similarities in their appearance. "You're going to tell me exactly what you mean by that."

Kagome almost rolled her eyes but refrained from doing so. "Must I explain it as though I'm talking to a two year old? And here I thought you were the baby sitter." She couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice and it surprised her. She was not acting at all like herself, but she couldn't make herself go back to her old ways either. "I'm going to disappear. You're going to go on with your life."

The boy stared at her for a moment, then at Yusuke. He didn't know what to say. He started the elevator back up. Living in a modern world, Hiei knew how to use the technology of the day and age. He didn't like it, but when he was tired, it was a must.

**-At school-**

Kagome almost wished she hadn't said that to Yusuke because he figured her to be suicidal now and practically clung to her like a leech. Kagome had the unfortunate opportunity to meet Keiko because of Yusuke being so clingy. Keiko set Kagome on edge. She was like a bat out of hell just waiting for her to screw up. Keiko shrieked at Kagome when they first met, which lowered Kagome's friendly meter when they first met.

The only chance Kagome had a break from Yusuke was last period. When she walked in, she was early for the class which was good considering she'd been late to all of her other ones and the teachers had nearly died when they saw Yusuke was actually there.

"Hey, Kagome!" Sheena called from the back of the room. "We were hoping you'd show." Kagome made her way to the back of the room, practically dragging her backpack behind her. She had a bottle of water in her hand and was near dying of thirst. She sat down in the desk behind Haru and the desk next to Sheena. "Where were you?" Sheena inquired.

"Sleeping." Kagome answered vaguely. Haru turned around in his seat. "Good to see you too." Kagome told him as positively as she could before he even had the chance to greet her.

He grinned, running his hands through his hair. "You're crazy, woman. Mr. Akira's here today though, which is really cool."

"Amazing." Kagome groaned and set her head down on her desk for a second, trying to moisten her tongue and prepare for a drink. She was so exhausted. Finally, she sat up, thinking repeatedly in her head about how there was only one more class before she could go to her aunts, which meant less time before she could go home to the feudal era.

Kagome opened her water as students began to file into the room. "Did'ja hear about the accident on Main Street?" Haru asked Kagome. "A semi and three cars crashed."

"No, I didn't." Kagome lifted her bottled water to her lips and took a big drink of it, only to gasp when she saw who had entered the room. Her eyes went wide and she began coughing. Some of that water went all over Haru's face but she was coughing so much she ended up having to leave the room.

The teacher blinked at his 'student' who had left. The student who had walked right by him. He followed her out of the room under the pretense that he was checking to see if she was alright and he couldn't believe it was really her.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	11. Run Away

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

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Chapter eleven: Run Away

Kagome leaned heavily against the lockers outside in the hall. Her eyes wandered the face of the man before her. She couldn't believe that he was here, alive, in the modern era. His black hair was long, but not as long as it used to be. It was about to his waist and he held it back in a low ponytail. He did look quite godly handsome indeed, so Kagome could understand Sheena's obvious reason to explain him as "very sexy". She could hardly disagree.

She could see the difference between this supposed Mr. Akira and the man who lived in the feudal era. This man had very strange brown eyes, but that was the only difference. The sharp claw like nails were the same, as were the long fang like canines. Kagome tried to catch her breath but her lungs were still streamed with water from gasping while drinking.

"The priestess?" Even his voice had not changed, Kagome noticed. It was still that same rough, yet mysterious and deep sound. His eyes shone with their old scheming light as though he had a dangerous plan in mind that had begun forming the instant he laid eyes on her again.

Kagome felt as though her heart had shattered into a thousand pieces. Instantly she knew that he was exactly who she thought he was. Everything about him looked the same except his eyes were different colored, but the fact that he knew who she was known mostly as in the feudal era proved that he was who she thought he was. "N...Naraku..." She coughed and tried to keep an eye on him. After all, she wouldn't make a good student of Sesshoumaru's if she didn't pay attention to her surroundings when her enemies were close at hand.

Something kin to a smirk graced his face and he nodded his head in a mock bow. Kagome wasn't sure she liked this new figure. Had he really survived all that time? Could he really survive all that time? "Indeed. Amusing, is it not? Naraku Akira, at your service, My Lady." His eyes were laughing, contemptuous towards her. "I had no idea humans could live this long."

Kagome backed away from Naraku slightly. The hall was empty, deserted completely. No one was around to witness the fact that Kagome knew him or he knew her. Kagome felt like she was standing next to a time bomb that might go off at any second. She wondered if her friends from the feudal era lived so long. Could they have? But if Naraku was still alive...how was that even possible?

What if because of her mother's decision, Kagome really never could get back through the well? What if it was Kagome's fault for not trying hard enough to get back? What if Kagome's presence in the feudal era meant more than just a small change?

Kagome wanted to scream at all the 'what if' questions. She raced off, not daring to look back. Naraku was not right behind her, chasing her. He just went back into his classroom and began class. Kagome ran, still slightly coughing to clear her lungs. She ran for the first exit she could find and raced out of the school. She could only think of how cowardly she felt for leaving behind one of the most dangerous people she had ever met, but never once did it occur to her that living for so long might have changed him.

Her eyes swelled with tears. She raced down street after street, her heart racing, her mind not registering where she was going or the fact that she had entered a strange part of the town that was not filled with buildings. She had never known that Tokyo had a place of such expansive greenery except at shrines and even then, there wasn't much. She did not realize that the amount of people in the area had become very slim, and then finally there seemed to be not a single soul around. She didn't realize that she had entered an area filled with only large mansions.

There were no longer businesses every few feet. There was nothing to say that anyone would notice if someone were kidnapped right from the street, as there would be no one around to witness. There was nothing to say that if someone was murdered right in the middle of the street, anyone would notice.

When Kagome had finally stopped running, she leaned heavily against the wall beside her that surrounded one of the large mansions. Her breath came in short gasps and she wondered why she had run away. Fear had clutched her belly like a laughing magician's tricks captured the minds of the audience in awe. She cried and fell to her knees, wanting Inuyasha to be there for her. He wasn't there for her though. He couldn't be if he wanted to be, could he? Not if Naraku was there.

"I want to go home!" Kagome cried to the wall. It didn't answer her, but she didn't expect it to. Tear after tear dripped from her chin to the ground. She heard no sounds of birds, no whisper of the wind, and saw no cars. There was nothing but absolute silence—a silence broken only by the sound of her broken sobs. "I want to go home!" She yelled it as loud as she could.

She hurt so badly inside, because of the fact that Naraku was alive and she couldn't even be sure if any of her friends had made it. If Inuyasha had made it. Had he gone to hell with Kikyou since she hadn't been there? What about Sesshoumaru? Did he make a good King? Did he even live to have that chance or did he die even before the true coronation ceremony?

Miroku and Sango had loved each other very much, but if Naraku was still alive, that meant they couldn't live together happily. The curse wouldn't go away if Naraku was still alive unless he took it away which Kagome highly doubted was possible. Seirra the phantom demon, the woman who had sworn to protect Kagome, did she die too? She had confided in Kagome her one weakness; had it been that weakness that had killed her?

Or what if Kagome really did make it back and died along with her friends? Was Kagome beating herself up by trying to learn to do a perfect back flip, learn hand-to-hand combat, learn to use a bow and sword, and learn to use the inborn priestess magic that she knew she had all for nothing? Would she just die anyway?

"I'm too young for this!" She pounded her fists on the ground. "If you're going to kill me, just do it! Stop these torturous thoughts! I want to go home, where I belong, in the time that I belong in! If you're not going to let me be there, then let me die and release me from this excruciating pain! **Take me home or let me die!**" It hurt knowing that she might never know the fate of her friends from the past. It hurt knowing that no one would ever be there for her like she was always there for others.

Kagome was unaware that she had tapped the priestess magic inside of her and was channeling it through her fists in a raw form. The deserted and slightly overgrown sidewalk began to crack further under the force of her fists and magic. Still, the sun shone brightly above and she wanted to curse even that. She wanted the skies to feel her sorrow. She wanted the very Earth to feel her pain. She wasn't getting her wish, she knew, but for some reason, Naraku was alive. She couldn't figure out if she was supposed to go back and die, or if everyone was dead already and she wasn't supposed to go back.

**-Spirit World-**

Koenma stared at the monitor on the wall that showed him the small portal between the Realm of Opposites. Very few demons knew about the Realm of Opposites, and a human knowing about the Realm of Opposites was even rarer. Koenma had not even told his Spirit Detectives about it, so why was that girl there? Why would she have been able to even walk through the barrier that walked right onto the Main Street?

Under normal circumstances, Koenma would most likely never have had his attention brought to that woman. She was by all appearances a completely ordinary woman. The printer was shooting information out about her and George was collecting the files. There was more information on her than there had been on Yusuke, which was very surprising, considering all the trouble that Yusuke had always been and still always got himself into.

She was Yusuke's cousin, which appeared to prove that strange abilities ran in his blood. Her full name was Kagome Lynn Akiko Higurashi, but she had shortened it to Kagome Lynn Higurashi and not many knew of her second middle name. The printer that was shooting out this information on her was a special printer created by Koenma's father that would connect quite literally to the subject's deepest thoughts. There was very rarely anything about a person that the printer could not find.

She was a strong woman, and yet, she was very sad. She was born the reincarnation of Lady Kikyou, the previous caretaker of the Jewel of Four Souls and had been born with the Jewel of Four Souls inside her body. The printer quite literally spat out every aspect of the girl's life up until she was fifteen. After that, it spat out a picture of an inversed smile face, white on black. It looked very strange, but George and Koenma knew what that picture meant. The picture generally meant a change in a person's life, one so drastic they would not very often recover.

The information that the printer gave following her fifteenth birthday showed she was something far more than just any ordinary woman. She was quiet and helpful to those who needed it still, but she had a dangerous secret that she didn't want to be learned—she was not just a girl, but the girl who had traveled through time to become the one and only Lady Priestess who had lived in the past and fought alongside all of her companions to try to defeat Naraku.

Those who knew her, and even those who did not know her, flocked to her because they felt they could trust her. She did not know why, and neither did the people know why, but she had come to term herself as a confidant. She kept people's secrets and helped them cope with their problems, but could find no one to help her cope with her own problems and only revealed small problems about herself when she felt it was necessary to break the ice between herself and another.

The image on the screen changed, Koenma saw. Hoards of those who lived in the Realm of Opposites began to congregate out of the mansions towards her, not knowing what to make of the sudden appearance of the stranger.

"George, check this out!" Koenma hollered, even though George was only a few feet away. His eyes were caught on the screen and he wanted to scream his frustration at the change the girl had brought in the Realm of Opposites, but the only thing he could do for it was to send someone to retrieve her. He certainly wasn't sure if he wanted to do that. Koenma bit his lip, chewing on it absently.

"Koenma, sir, what are we going to do?" George asked as the printer stopped temporarily.

"If I knew, would I be so worried?" Koenma growled and plopped down on the chair. He closed his eyes. "Well, wake me when something happens." Koenma's easiest route to dealing with stress was to sleep through it. George sighed and continued to watch the printer. It then began to spew out lists of all the secrets that the girl kept for others.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	12. SecretKeeper

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

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Chapter twelve: Secret-Keeper

**-Realm of Opposites-**

"What have we here? A mere child, from the outside." Kagome rubbed her eyes and looked up at the speaker of the voice. She was met with a pair of brown eyes and a face that looked exactly like her old one, before the markings were placed on her face. The only difference was the clear fact that she knew the person was not she. Compared to this new face, Kagome felt like a newborn babe. "How did you manage to get here?"

Kagome looked around helplessly and saw the strangest looking creatures that she had ever seen surrounded her. They looked completely human, but then again, she was positive they could not be, for they all from the smallest to the largest, looked like Kagome had at some point in her life. There was one that looked like she did just then and there was one that looked like she had when she was only five.

"I... Where is here?" Kagome could barely manage to speak. Her body told her to scream and run as far as she could and hope to make it home, to the well, to the past. Her heart told her to stay and listen to the strangers, that they needed help.

The girl giggled, the same carefree giggle that Kagome remembered being able to voice before she had fallen into the well. "You're in the Realm of Opposites." Kagome wanted that laugh back. She wanted to forget Inuyasha. She didn't want to ache over him, but at the same time she wanted to. She was constantly contradicting herself, but she couldn't stop doing it.

Another of the strangers came closer to Kagome. She looked exactly as Kagome did at that precise moment, from the markings on her face and body to the clothes she wore. She had something kin to a dangerous look in her eye as she glared at the rest of the beings there. "Ignore them. None of them are your true opposite."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Kagome stammered, sniffling and trying to wipe away the tears. "What is the Realm of Opposites and where is it? I... I thought I was just in Tokyo, running..." Kagome shook her head as she felt the vague memories poke into her mind. She hadn't really paid attention to how far she had run and her feet hurt like she had raced for many miles barefoot, even though they were clearly shoed.

"Ignore us?" The brown eyed Kagome demanded and Kagome almost shriveled away at the volume of the shriek. "You, wretch, are not the true Opposite!"

Kagome felt her look-alike pull her to her feet. "Stop crying." Her look-alike told her. "It will get you nowhere. You know that."

"I'm confused! Why are there so many of...me?" Her heart raced slightly as she realized she had probably died and gone to hell. She had heard once that hell would be filled only with one's self and the different pieces of a person would tear apart the rest.

"Because they're all demons! What the hell do you expect?" Kagome looked at the frightening looks on the faces of the apparent demons around them. They certainly did not look like her anymore. She felt a hand clutch hers and watched her look-alike stand protectively in front of her. Why was everyone trying to protect her? Why couldn't she protect anyone?

The dangerous looks in the look-alike's eyes escalated into a murderous look as the thousands of other 'Kagome's' charged at Kagome and her look-alike. Kagome found her feet rooted to the ground as she watched her look-alike raise her hand, palm-out towards the angry hoard, and a bright light emanated from the look-alike's hand, appearing to completely obliterate the others.

That power was quite clearly the same power that Kagome had been trying to grasp completely for almost three years yet never could manage to do so. Now she wasn't so sure she wanted to grasp that power which seemed so evil.

"Come on!" Kagome felt herself being dragged through the burnt corpses of the mass of demons and found it difficult not to look at the bodies. She stepped on one and nearly tripped as her foot went right through the chest cavity. She felt ill at the sight, especially when she saw the bodies were rejuvenating themselves. "Run faster, idiot!" Her look-alike yelled.

Kagome picked up her sore feet and her heart raced as they ran down the street that was as quiet as a deserted asylum. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears and feel the slick sweat that formed between her hand and the hand of the stranger dragging her. They turned a corner halfway down the street and were met with yet another mob. Her look-alike seemed unperturbed by the fact that these things were blocking the way. Her chanting voice filled the air but then was drowned out by the shrieks of the mob as they charged.

Slowly the very ground around them, the sand and dirt molecules on the street seemed to wrap each of them in a mound of dirt. Each of the members of the mob began to scream, pained as the pressure of the sand and dirt made their bodies implode. Small spurts of blood escaped the mounds of sand and Kagome vomited right then and there. The gore was beyond what her stomach could handle.

"They do not stay dead." She heard her look-alike whisper in her ear. "Don't give out on me yet. I know you're stronger than this." Kagome felt a cool feeling wash through her body, starting at where her hand was connected to her look-alike's hand. "Get up. Get up now!"

Kagome closed her eyes for a second as her vomiting stopped. Her hair and clothes were spattered with vomit but her look-alike appeared not to notice. She felt herself being pulled to her feet again. Her look-alike dragged her down the street and she kept her eyes closed, trusting in the look-alike to lead her safely through. She didn't watch the third mob in the third street be demolished, or notice any of the other mobs. She merely kept her eyes closed.

Then, there was a large gate with a large mansion behind it, and Kagome was pulled through that gate and allowed finally to fall to her knees and sob. She was afraid. She was very afraid. Her heart felt like it would burst right out of her chest. If the whole thing was a nightmare, why was it so hard to breathe, and why could she feel that pain?

"This is pathetic." Her look-alike grumbled irritably. A glow enveloped Kagome's body and Kagome found that she couldn't help but let sleep encase her completely so even her soul slept.

Her look-alike picked her up easily, carrying her down the long driveway. The mansion gate was closed and locked and the mob was on the outside of it, unable to enter. Once inside the mansion, she headed for the master bedroom and helped Kagome into a nightshirt, then placed Kagome on the bed, covering her up so she could get a decent night sleep.

**-Ka's mansion-**

Kagome woke to the smell of delicious food cooking and found that all worries escaped her. She crawled out of the extra large bed, following her nose towards the cooking. She smiled happily as she entered the kitchen. She felt no pain, strangely enough. She wondered why, but wasn't too worried over the fact.

Her look-alike was making breakfast and doing a much better job at it than Kagome ever could. Kagome felt very carefree at the moment. Her heart did not ache at the memory of Inuyasha or of the memory that Naraku was still alive. She felt like she had given up all thought of anything other than just simply being, and she had with the help of her look-alike, though she did not know it yet.

Her look-alike placed a plate of food in front of her. She couldn't determine what it was made out of. It had the appearance of bacon and eggs, but the colors were completely inverted. White was black and black was white. She shrugged it off and ate the food. "Thank you!" She said to her look-alike.

Her look-alike smiled. "You're welcome. It is, perhaps, fortunate that you and I were destined to meet."

Kagome blinked several times, slightly confused. "Destined?"

"My name is Ka. I am your opposite. I know everything that you do not know." Ka sat down and began to eat her food slowly and meticulously. Kagome was almost reminded of how Sesshoumaru ate. It was as though nothing else mattered in the world except consuming the food, but yet at the same time, always being aware of everything.

Kagome slumped for a moment and stared at the inverted look of food on her plate. When Ka spoke again, she almost missed what she said. "We were destined to meet, because you and I are Secret-Keepers."

Kagome looked at Ka. "What's that?"

"A Secret-Keeper is a person destined to be trusted and to help others with their woes. You already do it, though you don't realize why. Unfortunately, as will happen only once in a millennia, we are also priestess'. You won't be able to harness your priestess abilities unless you relax..."

Kagome listened as Ka explained about the physical and mental imbalance often came with being both a Secret-Keeper and a priestess. She had never had any idea that the reason people sought help from her was because of something she was. She knew that her burden, her load of responsibilities, had just grown immensely. But it was the fact that she knew this that made it seem less demanding.

She liked to help people and considered it her job. Now she knew it was her job. Only one person every thousand years was given the job, because the life span of a Secret-Keeper and a priestess combination lasted that long, if they were not killed first.

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**Uh... No. Nothing to say except that I love your reviews.**


	13. Kurama's Mission

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

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Chapter thirteen: Kurama's Mission

**-Spirit World-**

"George, get Botan!" Koenma called to the blue ogre. He paced the top of his desk, looking at the monitor every so often.

George dashed out of the paper-filled room, skillfully dodging stacks of paper, looking for Botan. He could not find her anywhere, but when he finally stopped looking, she was there. He could have sworn his face turned ten shades of red as he noticed her new pink kimono. He couldn't help but think how pretty he thought she was. Shaking himself mentally, he said to the smiling Botan, "Lord Koenma wants you!"

"Why, thank you very much, George! I'll go see him right away!" George's heart skipped a beat as he heard her say his name. He didn't notice she had gone already. Botan poked her head in Koenma's office. "You wanted to see me, Koenma, sir?"

Koenma paced up on top of the desk for a moment before realizing Botan was there. "Me? No. I didn't want to see you. Oh, but as long as you're here, I've got a very important mission for you to get the Spirit Detectives on immediately!"

Botan couldn't help but wonder what George's problem was, sending her to Koenma's falsely. She smiled anyway. "But Koenma, sir, they're still keeping an eye out for that dog demon with the Jewel shards."

"Hm. Good point. Well, send Kurama to do it. Here's the file." He bent down and picked up a file from the desk and Botan took the file from him. "Kurama should be able to handle it alone. Tell him to use any force necessary. Retrieval of the girl is of the utmost importance. Make sure he knows not to hesitate to use force."

"Yes, Koenma, sir." Botan waved her hand and a rift opened up. On the other side of the portal, she found herself in the small apartment that Kurama and his mother lived in. She tried to move about sneakily so that his mother wouldn't see her, but unfortunately her luck had run dry.

"Shuichi, your girlfriend is here!" His mother called out. Botan laughed nervously, a blush staining her cheeks. She couldn't help but think how embarrassed she was. His mother hadn't even had to turn around. Kurama poked his head out of his room, his long red hair still wet from an obvious shower.

"Mother..." Kurama blushed. "She's not my girlfriend." Kurama said when he noticed that Botan was there. He exited his room, wearing only a pair of pants. His shirt was around his shoulders and he was wringing out his long hair.

Botan guessed that caring for such long hair as he had was probably very difficult. She blushed at his state of undress but still held her head high and smiled at him. "Good afternoon, Kur... I mean, Shuichi." She always almost forgot to call him by his human name when around his mother.

Kurama smiled at Botan. "Good afternoon."

"Aw, aren't you two just so adorable?" Kurama's mother asked, giggling.

"Mom!" Kurama yelped, embarrassed. He grabbed Botan's hand as he pulled his shirt on, pulling her out the front door. "Sorry about her." He apologized, letting her go and buttoning up his shirt. "Did you..." He noticed the file in her hand. "Oh."

Botan handed him the file. "This one is only for you. The others are still watching the other mission. Koenma said to tell you to use whatever force necessary and that retrieval of the girl is of the utmost importance. Oh, and do not, under any circumstance, hesitate to use force."

Kurama flipped through the folder. "A rescue?" He looked up and found Botan was walking away. "Botan?" She stopped and he pointed to a picture inside the folder. "Does she not look like Yusuke?"

**-Feudal Era-**

The Jewel Shard Hunters were quick becoming impatient, though none would admit it aloud. They waited for Kagome's return in the clearing by the well. In the past year, Kagome had not stayed as long as five whole days, if the week right after she had died was to be discounted.

It had not taken long to get Sesshoumaru to explain the meaning of the vow that Kagome had given him. The blood oath, written in her hand, using her blood as ink, was simple enough. Kagome would help Sesshoumaru, and he would help her. It also promised her safety as long as she was in their company because Sesshoumaru would protect her.

Inuyasha paced back and forth, wearing a hole in the ground. Every so often he would swoop down, pick up a rock, and fling it at a happily chirping bird. When he was not pacing or throwing rocks at the happy wildlife, he was slumped underneath a tree, fiddling with the string on the Tetsusaiga's hilt, brooding.

Kouga, being the only one who refused to believe that Kagome lived on the other side of a well, was worried into a sort of depression, thinking that Kagome had died and the others were keeping it from him. Hakkaku and Ginta tried to cheer him up, but nothing seemed to work for him. He just sat there, miserable. Not even sending snide comments towards Inuyasha helped him.

Shippou and Rin sat on the lip of the well sometimes, staring down into the depths, but most times were the least bit worried. They played tag with each other and played pin the tail on the "Jaken" despite the many complaints given by the little toad demon. Ah-Uhn encouraged the children's behavior.

Miroku was too distracted to even grope either of the females, Sango had worked herself into illness, and Seirra stood vigilant by the well, staring down at it as though it would open up and tell her the answers to the questions she had.

But, out of all of them, the most worried was surprisingly Sesshoumaru. He had come to realize that he and Kagome shared something, an inner bond despite the fact that they were of two different species. They shared the pain of responsibility. They shared the burden of it, even if they did not hold the same responsibility on their shoulders. They both walked treacherous grounds on unknown feet.

Sesshoumaru, unlike Inuyasha, had absolutely no clue what lay on the other side of the well. Compared to the image he had in his mind, he was working himself up in a sweat plainly over nothing. The image in his mind was that the world she lived in was a much more dangerous place to be than the one he lived in.

Every few minutes, Sesshoumaru would look at the well when he thought he heard something from that direction, only to find it was really nothing and that Kagome was not about to come out of the well. Kagome had promised she would be back in time for his coronation ceremony. Unfortunately, it was almost time for him to start heading towards it so he could be ready for it and he hadn't even spoken to Inuyasha or his companions yet.

Finally, irritably, he stood and beckoned for Inuyasha to follow. The younger dog demon prince did, surprisingly. Sesshoumaru led Inuyasha far enough away that none would be able to hear. Saying what he had to say would be hard enough without eavesdroppers.

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**If I had something to say, I would say it.**


	14. Trouble Learning

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

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Chapter fourteen: Trouble Learning

**-Realm of Opposites-**

Kurama stared at the gate to the Realm of Opposites. It was not really much but what looked to be an extremely tiny crack in a fence. He wondered why Koenma had picked him for a rescue mission. It wasn't that he didn't have faith that he could do it, but he figured that Hiei was faster and could have it done quicker.

Shrugging the questions off, Kurama slipped through the barrier. Instantly the world began to shift around him. He saw instead of the same crowded streets of Tokyo, a long wide street lined on either side with large mansions, each one behind gates and inside tall walls, seemingly impervious to intruders.

The place was overgrown with plants the likes of which Kurama had never seen before. Everything about the world was inverted. The sun was blue yet emitted the same glorious shine that the normal world's sun did. The ground was dirt; the sidewalk was overgrown cement. The entire world appeared to be inverted in color and it made Kurama feel slightly dizzy in truth.

He thought about the map that Koenma had given him. If he were to think logically and the map that Koenma had given him was as inverted as the rest of the world, then he had to follow it opposite what was written. However, if Koenma had already done this conversion, and Botan's warning from Koenma was any indication and he went the wrong way, he risked taking more of a chance running into creatures looking for a fight.

Kurama didn't want to go the wrong way, but it appeared he had no choice but to take that risk. Koenma might not have realized that the entire place seemed to be backwards. Kurama began walking down the street, picturing the map in his mind. The gates to the mansions began to open, he noticed, and he was shocked to find that the creatures coming out looked exactly like him at his various ages. Some of them looked like Shuichi, and some of them looked like Yoko Kurama at the various stages in each of the two separate entities of life.

"_Do not hesitate to use force..."_

**-Ka's mansion-**

"That's wrong! Wrong!" Ka yelled at Kagome yet again. "Do you want to be able to control this force? This power? If not for yourself, do it for those people who need your protection!"

For two hours already, though it felt like much longer that they had been at the training, Ka had been trying to teach Kagome the mathematics involved in being a priestess. It was precision, timing, accuracy, and equations, all rolled into one, and sometimes it was even coordination of hand or body movements. That and learning the proper words for the larger spells; not all spells required the user to chant the spell because some were smaller and accosted less energy.

Kagome was, needless to say, doing very horribly at it. Ka was a natural and catching up with her opposite was not easy. It could be done, Ka had promised her, but Kagome just wasn't seeing it happening at all, much less any time soon. Ka had promised her that just because they were opposites did not by any means mean that whatever Ka could do, Kagome couldn't do and vice versa. It did not mean that.

It meant that whatever Kagome was a natural at; Ka struggled with and vice versa. That theory was being put into play with Kagome and her mathematics. Kagome was ready to begin smacking her head with the math book, but every time she moved to do so, Ka was right there to smack her hands with what appeared to be a ruler or a stick of some sort.

"I'm trying!" Kagome yelled right back. "Don't you understand? Do you see me trying?" Kagome felt weird yelling at someone who looked exactly like her, but she felt good at the same time being able to yell at someone other than Inuyasha. She still felt no hurt at his memory, though Ka had told her why and had told her that as soon as she left the Realm of Opposites, the spell would wear off and she would be forced to face the truth.

Ka simply smacked Kagome's forehead with the stick. "You're not trying hard enough." She told her. "If you were, you would have at least figured this out. It's the mathematics to a simple illusionary spell." As she spoke, Ka pointed to the math problem she was talking about. "It's the most elementary spell out there for us!"

"Maybe I'm just a hands-on type of person!" Kagome winced at how whiny she sounded and rubbed her forehead. "Are you trying to poke my eye out?"

Ka jabbed at her eye with the stick and pulled it away, putting it in front of Kagome's other eye. "No. If I wanted to, I could just do this."

Kagome screamed and fell backwards at seeing her own eye, her greenish-yellow eye staring at her from the stick, blood dripping off it. Seeing it made her feel pain and her hand went to her eye as though to make the bleeding stop. She found that her eye was still there, quite intact and had never been poked at all. It was an illusion.

Ka laughed at her behavior. "Idiot! That was painfully obvious that it wasn't your eye! For one, if I poked you through the eye, the iris would have been face down on the stick. How's that for hands-on?"

"You're really cruel!" Kagome yelled at Ka. "That was a disgusting joke!" She crossed her arms over her chest and the nightshirt that she was still wearing rode up on her thighs. It wasn't like there was anyone else around that could see, but it still embarrassed her, so she uncrossed her arms and pulled it down again.

Ka snickered at her some more. "You're just too easy to mess with. Now, continue practicing." When Kagome glared at her, she sighed. "Fine, I'll try to help more." She waved the stick and the illusion disappeared. "As soon as you understand the math, the rest comes really easy."

**-Spirit World-**

Koenma yawned and looked at Botan. "How are Yusuke and the others doing? We know how Kurama's doing, and that's not so good. I should have told him that I had George invert the map. All these intelligent thinkers really get on my nerves sometimes."

"Well, Koenma, sir, Yusuke and the others have been keeping an eye out for the demon, but there's no indication that he'll come." Botan answered.

**-Realm of Opposites-**

"You've got to be joking." Kurama muttered under his breath as he lashed out with his rose whip, slicing the strange creatures that looked like him to pieces. It was painfully obvious that they were not he, considering he was right there. He was not one to be fooled.

He had quickly found out that the creatures regenerated themselves and so had taken to running, inverting the map in his mind and unknowingly going the wrong way. It had been quite a few hours before he realized his mistake since the road he wanted was not there.

Working his way back to the start of the strange labyrinth-based city was no easier. It seemed that each corner he turned there was a mob of himself waiting for him there. Each time, it was a larger mob too, as though they were trying to outnumber him and defeat him that way.

He was starting to wonder if he would ever make it to find the girl. He did not like the mission one bit. It was difficult, true, but only because the mobs kept coming. Where they came from, he wasn't sure. Why they came, he knew even less.

"Pst! Pst!" Kurama turned sharply and lashed out with his rose whip. The thing almost cut another of the Shuichi-based look-alikes to pieces, but this one just barely dodged, cowering against the ground. "Ah! Don't hurt me! I'm too young to die!"

Kurama, confused, looked at the mob that was quickly regenerating, then back at the strange look-alike who had not acted like the rest of them. He then realized why the place was called the Realm of Opposites and why everything was so inverted. He had found his opposite, it appeared. He wasn't too sure he liked the fact that his opposite was a coward.

Kurama groaned. The mission was turning out to be the most annoying mission yet. All he could think of was the girl better be very important to Koenma. "Then get out of my way." Kurama told him quietly. He could most likely not hurt his opposite in truth, but he certainly wasn't immune to disliking it either.

"Follow me!" His opposite got up and raced into one of the nearby mansions, darting through the gate. Kurama followed and the gate closed behind them, locking the mob on the other side. "I swear, I must have more gray hairs than—"

"Who are you?" Kurama asked the look-alike. He was beginning to become impatient and his arms were admittedly becoming slightly sore from lashing out so much with his rose whip. He could use a glass of water as dehydration was quickly settling in.

"My name is Ku. I am your opposite. You shouldn't have come here! Why did you come here? Oh a rescue mission?" Ku wiped his forehead. "I'm sorry if I seem a bit...weird. I am your opposite, so I am able to know everything you're thinking."

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**Really nothing to say except, please review.**


	15. Get Out Alive

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan.__**

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Chapter fifteen: Get Out Alive

**-Ka's mansion-**

Kagome sat irritably in front of the table, her head leaning on one arm, as she tried to do the math equation that Ka had given her. Ka had left the room to cook lunch and in doing so left Kagome to struggle alone with her math. Kagome wondered how long she had sat in front of the table and if it really was lunchtime. She couldn't tell if it was or not. She wondered how long she had been in the Realm of Opposites.

"Does time move the same way it does in the normal world, or what?" Kagome wondered. She began to doodle on her paper, drawing a picture of the Jewel of Four Souls on its original rosary again. She couldn't do much in the drawing department, but the Jewel and its rosary was easy for her. She wondered if Sesshoumaru had already been crowned King yet.

Just as she finished the drawing, Ka came in with their food and placed it in front of Kagome, looking at her work. "Do you want to fail?" She placed her hand on Kagome's drawing and it seemed to absorb into the picture, bringing out the drawing. Kagome gasped. It looked like the whole Jewel of Four Souls but it was gray and white and in some places very dark shaded. Ka handed it to Kagome. "It's real." She said when Kagome began to doubt. "Its not another illusion."

"How did you," Kagome started, but Ka just laughed.

"Eat up. You'll need your strength."

Kagome nodded and stared at the jewel in her hand as she ate the food that had been placed before her. Ka ate in silence as well, but as soon as lunch was cleaned up, Kagome and Ka went back to working on mathematics. Soon the light from the oddly colored sun disappeared and night fell. Ka allowed Kagome to go to bed and then, once Kagome was sleeping, she apologized to the other girl.

"Kagome, you'll understand easier this way." Ka said. Her body glowed for a moment before she disappeared. She would use Kagome's dreams to her advantage and teach Kagome all she had to know, and with the lack of consciousness, it would be easier for Kagome to learn.

**-Kagome's Dreamscape-**

Kagome smiled as she stared at the moon. Her face was bathed in the beauty of it. She liked the night, for it hid the secrets that all wanted to know yet none could learn. The moon was ethereal and the glow cast on her skin seemed to dance on the markings that the blood oath had painted on her body.

Kagome's smile widened as she was joined by Ka on the cliff above the feudal era. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Kagome asked Ka. "The moon never disappears. I admire that. Even when it is at its most secretive moment, on the night of the new moon, it still casts a glow in my heart."

Ka looked at Kagome with a small smile. "Then we should be like the moon. Let us learn the equations even now."

Kagome nodded. "Yes. Teach me, so that I might fulfill my duties as priestess and Secret-Keeper. Whatever I must know, I will learn."

**-Spirit World-**

Koenma gulped as his father's eyes bore down upon him. His father was almost always away, which meant that Koenma was the one to rule the Spirit World, but this time his father had come back, for reasons as of yet unknown, and he had learned of Koenma sending Kurama alone into the Realm of Opposites. Needless to say, he was not pleased at all with Koenma's decision.

"But father, I have faith that Kurama can handle whatever is thrown at him! He is, after all, no ordinary human!" Koenma pleaded. He shrunk further down in his chair as his father continued to glare at him.

His father glared at him and waved to the monitor where it showed a sleeping Kagome. "I'm not worried about your little pet. I'm worried about her! Do you realize the catastrophe we would be faced with if she died? She is no ordinary human either, but she is not immortal!"

All sounds stopped in the Spirit World as every soul was listening to Koenma getting yelled at. It truly was a rarity that Koenma's father would come back.

**-Ka's mansion-**

Kagome sat up in bed, yawning, as the strange yet surprisingly warm sunlight bathed her form in the early morning light. She felt so much more intelligent after dreaming all night about math. She almost yelped when she saw her opposite was lying next to her, sleeping with absolutely nothing on.

Instead of living the awkward moment with her opposite, she got up and smoothed the nightshirt against her body, then headed towards the room she and Ka had been in the day before and set herself down to the task of trying to understand the math. She nearly cried with joy when she found she could get the easier problems at least. It was a start.

"Good work." Ka praised her. Kagome was glad to see that her opposite was clothed. "Do you want to make it to the coronation?" Kagome nodded eagerly. "Then listen to me carefully. Absorb every word I say..."

**-Ku's mansion-**

"Don't go out there! Please don't go out there!" Ku sobbed, pleading Kurama. Kurama ignored Ku and set out of the mansion. As he had guessed, no one was in sight immediately, so he took off at a run, heading in what he hoped to be the right direction. The mansion gates were opening ahead of him, but once he passed them, they began to close. It was a race, it seemed.

**-Ka's mansion-**

"Here. The perfect clothing for you." Ka told her, handing Kagome what appeared to be just a large black cloak. She touched the back of Kagome's neck briefly. "I have faith that you'll make it to the exit alive. Continue to practice your mathematics, okay? And remember what I told you."

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**Hope you're enjoying this half-assed lame crack of a fan fiction.**


	16. Hide

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

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Chapter sixteen: Hide

**-Streets of the Realm of Opposites- **

Kagome was reasonably a bit apprehensive about exiting the mansion alone, but she pulled the cloak close to her body and put the hood over her head, walking briskly down the street. Ka had explained that Kagome would have to get out by herself.

She clutched the strange jewel to her body that Ka had pulled out of the paper and did just as Ka had told her. She created the illusion that she was twenty-five feet behind where she actually walked, and the strange creatures that looked like her went after the illusion. She created the illusion that she was invisible and was careful to walk as quietly as she could so she did not disrupt the eerie silence that filled the air.

She turned all the corners that Ka had said to turn but when she felt a body crash into hers and knock her off balance, she couldn't keep the illusions going. She fell to the ground and her assailant fell with her, both landing in a rather awkward position. Kagome felt weak about it, but she had unfortunately hit her head rather hard on the ground. She couldn't see straight.

Kurama looked at Kagome. "Are you Kagome?" He asked. She nodded slightly. He got up and helped her to her feet. "Finally a spot of luck." He muttered. When he looked around them, he saw doubles of both of them and realized his luck had just run dry.

"Eh he! There is no escape!" One of the look-alike demons cackled.

Kagome shook her head, trying to clear it. "There is always an escape!" Kagome yelled. Inuyasha always told her that. If she looked hard enough, she could always find an escape.

Kurama looked around. He was trying to support Kagome's weight with his right arm and unfortunately using his rose whip with his left arm was near impossible for him. He spotted a tiny alleyway behind them and started backing towards it. It was a very slim chance that it led anywhere, but he was positive he could not easily maneuver himself and Kagome free from the crowd. They would have to take that chance.

Kurama put his arm around Kagome's waist. "Hang on to me. We're getting out of here." He could feel a trusting pull about her and knew that she was the right Kagome. None of the others were the true Kagome even if they looked pretty much exactly like her. Her eyes constantly flickered one color to the next, but she didn't seem to realize this. He knew she was human, so he felt strangely confused because of her odd eyes.

The tattoos on her face and body were very familiar though he couldn't place it. Underneath her cloak she wore what appeared to be a nightshirt and quite possibly nothing else. There were tattoos on her wrists and the back of her hands as well. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

It was senseless to think that Kagome wasn't who she said she was. She looked the perfect picture of a normal human—albeit with tattoos scattered about her person—and smelled like one as well. Her trusting nature was not like a human's though and he was forced to wonder about her. He actually found himself wondering what his mother would say about her. His mother approved of Botan, so what about the girl who was currently in his arms?

"Behind us there is an alleyway." Kurama whispered in her ear lowly as the look-alike demons closed in on them. He felt slightly uncomfortable having to bend down slightly with the girl. He was half foot taller than her and so it was slightly difficult for her to get her arms around his neck without some semblance of help from him. He looked at her once more, very quickly, and saw she was having trouble focusing on anything. Her eyes were not the same green that they had been in the picture in Koenma's file, but now were more on the yellow side. "It may be our only chance."

Kagome nodded her understanding. They would be taking a serious risk going into an alleyway because if they were blocked in, they would have no where to go and quite possibly no way to get out. Because of her lack of ability to focus, she couldn't exactly see the face of her savior, but quite honestly felt sure to trust him. For one, he just felt too normal under scrutiny of her hands. Of course she wasn't trying to feel him up or anything, she just happened to notice there was no illusion to him as of yet.

Kurama sighed. He wanted nothing more than to just be done with the mission. After a night of listening to Ku's irritating prattle, he could have asked for nothing more. He carefully gripped Kagome's waist and ran with her into the alley. She was still trying to focus after the heavy blow to the skull she had taken from the cement but she did at least try not to be deadweight. She ran as best she could with him, letting him lead her.

The sounds of shrieking demons filled the air behind them as the two ran. The demons were following, though the alley slowed them down since each one wanted to be first. It didn't take much to realize that if they were caught, the demons would devour them; this fact could be realized simply by listening to the jeering calls of the look-alikes as they proclaimed their hunger. Kagome and Kurama both wondered why their Opposites did not wish to eat flesh as these things seemed to want to.

The alleyway twisted and turned and only proved to get narrower and darker. There seemed to be no end to it; no other side out. Kurama nearly swore when they came upon a dead end. He knew he should have expected it, but he had been hoping that the alleyway would lead somewhere. The demon look-alikes had not yet caught up and were not within sight, so he looked around for someplace to hide.

There was a small niche in the wall, just barely large enough for the two of them if they really squeezed in there. It would be a rather undignified tight fit, but Kurama had made the mistake of entering a small space. His rose whip was basically rendered useless in a small space and unlike normal days when he had seeds hidden wherever he could stick them, that day he had only a simple rose bud which would do him no good.

"In here." Kurama whispered, hoping there was nothing else thinking to inhabit the small hole in the rock wall that was undoubtedly more than a meter thick. He helped her in first and then found there would be no room for him to sit by her.

Instead of allowing him to stay outside the relative safety of the hiding spot, Kagome grabbed his hand and pulled him in, shifting her body and contorting her limbs to fit around him. She still could not see clearly, but could see the definite use of gymnastics and being very limber. Kurama felt a blush staining his cheeks, as she was pretty much straddling him in a rather suggestive position. It was highly unlikely that they would remain unfound but both had hopes and kept them high.

Luckily, the demons seemed not to notice they were hiding. They searched the area, but if they could not see the two, they assumed they weren't there. Unluckily, the demons didn't stop searching. Kagome's back began to cramp from the odd position and Kurama felt a crick forming rather painfully in his neck. Still, neither dared to move or try to be more comfortable, realizing that comfort was not exactly in league with safety at the moment. Kurama cursed his stupidity for not bringing along more useful plant seeds.

The demons continued to search for the two and Kagome's eyes and head cleared. By the time it had cleared, it had already become far too dark to see any really defining features, but from what she did see she guessed he was a rather handsome man. His skin was smooth, not marked with freckles, pock marks, or acne. His nose was proportionate to the rest of his face, though the shadows did make it seem bigger. His hair appeared to be rather long, though not quite so long as Kagome's hair had gotten to be.

All in all, she had to say he seemed to be a rather handsome looking guy. From the way he spoke, she guessed he was the more intelligent type. She guessed he wasn't the brash, unreliable, unsophisticated type like Inuyasha was, but then again there was always that something about the brash, unreliable, unsophisticated type like Inuyasha that attracted Kagome.

Kagome guessed it was the fact that when they said something, they meant it whereas someone who was intelligent or graceful like Sesshoumaru would normally say only what either needed to be said or wanted to be heard and not always meant what they said.

Both Kurama and Kagome couldn't help but think the same thing. When will these demons go away?

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**I hope this is okay... I used an over-used plotline but I'm trying to get some twists there. **


	17. Dangers in the Darkness

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

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Chapter seventeen: Dangers in the Darkness

It was pitch black outside of the tiny crack in the wall before the demons seemed to disappear finally. Kagome's hand groped the ground around Kurama's body for a second, looking for the inverted Jewel, and when she had found it, she moved carefully to get off of him and exit the hole.

"I think we should be very swift." Kurama told her quietly as they stood. She still wondered of his name, since he had yet to tell her it but figured that he would tell her in due time if he felt it necessary. Some white knights preferred to remain anonymous and she knew this all too well. "I don't particularly fancy another run-in with those things."

Kagome nodded. Her voice was as quiet as his as she took his hand in hers. "I don't fancy one either." She told him as she began running, despite the fact that her muscles were cramping up after being positioned in an odd form for hours on end.

Kurama was a faster runner than she was and she did have difficulty keeping up, but she tried her best. His legs and muscles were likewise screaming at him for the treatment after hours of strange positioning, but his mind headed Ku's warning and jerked him to move faster, following the map inside his mind back to the gate to the human realm.

"_Things get really creepy at nighttime! You don't understand! This isn't your world. You have dangers in your world such as rapists who hide in the darkness, but in our world, those rapists are thousands times worse!" Ku had said. His voice trembled with fear as he tried to explain to Kurama exactly why Kurama should just leave and never return—the human he searched for so blindly was probably dead anyway. _

"_I cannot shirk this mission. It is my duty to bring the girl back." Kurama told Ku, almost ready to grind his teeth together in irritation. He would, of course, do no such thing and nor would he yank his hair out in frustration as he also wanted to do, but the two ideas were very prospective. _

"_Koenma, shmen-ma!" Ku spat, slamming his glass of strangely black water onto the countertop. His green eyes were equally as green as Kurama's own eyes and blazed with not the anger that his words portrayed but were filled with fear and apprehension at the thought of losing his Opposite. "What are you, human or demon? Forget the girl and go back to your world!"_

"_It doesn't matter what I am!" Kurama snapped angrily, tired of Ku's whining. Normally he did not lose his cool so quickly, but watching himself, as it were, being so cowardly had really upset him. He hated to see himself looking so disgustingly fearful. The scent of fear radiating off of Ku was enough to choke an army—the scent of perspiration, sweat, salt. It was rancid and it burned the hairs inside Kurama's delicate nose. _

_Ku shouted, "It does matter! Demons think of themselves before others, and humans are no better! Unless you're some sort of righteous do-gooder, which you're not and I know you're not, forget the girl! She's not important, she is meaningless! If you die, you'll kill us both! You'll be lost in an eternal void, and I'll become just like those other demons out there—nothing but an empty shell looking for a snack to feed on!"_

_Kurama's eyes were shadowed by his bangs as he clenched his fists tightly in a ball. "You're right; I'm not any sort of righteous. But Yusuke is my friend, and the girl, no. She has a name. Kagome Higurashi is Yusuke's cousin, his family. I am not doing this for Koenma. I am doing this for my friend. I am doing it for a person who has risked his life over and over again to save hundreds of lives."_

_Ku began slamming his head against the countertop. Had Kurama not been so enraged, he might have found the scene amusing. Finally, Ku sat up. "Yusuke won't find out about her anyway. She could already be dead for all you know."_

"_Then so be it. But I won't give up before I have even begun."_

_Ku looked at Kurama with woeful eyes. "Even if Yusuke never learns of what you have done?"_

"_Yes. Even if he never learns of it, at least I will have tried." Kurama had said no more. He walked over to Ku's sink, turned on the faucet, and rinsed out his glass using the strange black tap water. The glass, he had set in the sink. When he saw his reflection in the glass's surface, he found himself to be staring at a newly determined face. _

Kagome screamed as she felt something cold and slimy touching her body, wrapping itself around her. Her hand clutched Kurama's tighter and as she fell, she found him being pulled back as well because of whatever had grabbed her and the fact that she still had him.

Kurama could see the exit. He could see the fence that led to the other world. Something had grabbed Kagome, though. He could see the dark and looming shadow of it behind her. His hand slipped from hers as she was yanked right from the ground and lifted up into the air over twenty feet above ground. Whatever it was, Kurama could only assume it was one of the terrors of the night that Ku had mentioned.

They were so close! Kurama didn't want to abandon her, not when they were nearly there! When Kagome's screaming disappeared from the air and the place became silent, he became sick with fear. He could see the massive figure was still holding her. The jewel in her hand emitted a soft glow; she had not dropped it. But was she dead?

It was a dangerous situation, much like the one during the Dark Tournament when his mother's life had been on the line. He had to soak in the pain then. This demon had either just killed Kagome, or else held her life on the line—in his hands. Kurama had never liked such dangerous situations.

**-Feudal Era-**

Inuyasha climbed out of the well with difficulty. He was wounded, far more than the recent skirmishes of demons who came to prey upon what they thought was a weak human-loving demon group wounded him. Kouga, Hakkaku, and Ginta were no longer with the group. They had gone back to their mountainous territory during the temporary break to try to regroup whatever clan members they had left and try to cheer Kouga up.

Seirra bent down to try to help Inuyasha climb out of the well. He hardly had the strength to climb, let alone jump out like his normal action was. He, however, slapped her hand away. "Don't touch me!" He sneered at her, falling to his knees beside the well before coughing up blood.

His hair was half cut off, no longer straight but being slanted at an extreme angle. On his left side, his hair was cut to the bottom of his shoulder blades. On his right side, his hair still fell down to his waist. Blood spattered the silver hair and cuts and lacerations littered his body. His clothing was quite literally shredded like paper, proving useless at covering any part of his body much less his privates. One of his ears had been chopped off at the tip and was bleeding.

Sango and Miroku gasped at the sight of their friend and moved to help him as he fell forward, flat on his face. "Inuyasha, what happened?" Miroku questioned as he and Sango rolled him over. Inuyasha's eyes had gone dull and were unresponsive. He had passed out cold.

"I was only trying to help him!" Seirra stated hotly. She licked her lips and her silver-white eyes flashed with something kin to anger. "But no! He just has to be a jerk!"

"Dumb ass." Sesshoumaru scoffed, walking over. He was, by all appearances, very calm. However, on the interior of his cold, uncaring attitude, he was very worried. His younger brother, the soon-to-be general of his armies, was in a dire state of injury. Not only that, though, he was also worried for Kagome's safety.

He was glad he had sent Jaken, Rin, and Ah-Uhn to the castle already. He would hate to have Rin see the one who she had finally deemed "big brother—defeat able only by the hands of Sesshoumaru" so injured.

What could have done such to Inuyasha? He knew from experience that Inuyasha was no push over. He knew not only from the many encounters he had had fighting against Inuyasha, but also with him. So what could have happened?

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. **


	18. Guarded Castle

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

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Chapter eighteen: Guarded Castle

**-Flashback-**

_They had been walking for nearly an hour. Around them, birds chirped happily and flew from tree to tree. The soft trod of Sesshoumaru's feet was wildly inverted in comparison to the loud crunching sound of Inuyasha's feet on the ground. Neither brother said a word to the other—the younger brother only followed. Soon they exited Inuyasha forest completely. _

_Inuyasha stared out at the expanse below them. The rock formation, the cliff that they stood upon, hung far over a deep valley with a mountain at its back and the tall cliffs there to the side. A dark, forbidding looking forest lay to the other side, directly across from where Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru stood upon the cliff. To the front was a river, too wide for a bridge at the time, so on either side of the river was a ferryman's hut. _

_This was not what caught Inuyasha's attention, though. The castle, built on the backs and flesh of both demons and humans together, was in the middle of the valley. It was a splendid sight to see and it was a moment before Inuyasha found he could release the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. _

_The castle and city was built like a fortress town. There was a sturdy, thick stone wall around both the city and castle. The castle was towards the back, nearer to the mountain that backed it. The city and castle were not made of beautiful stone; it was not completely white or black. Vines strapped the sides of the castle and the castle wall, proving the age of the weathered stone structure. _

_The city was infested with people that, from where the two brothers stood, looked like tiny little ants among their dwellings. The city was, at first glance, rather ugly. It was made for durability and strength, not for beauty. However, Inuyasha knew—he could remember—the beauty of the place. The inner beauty was dazzling, splendiferous. _

_Inuyasha could remember playing with Sesshoumaru in the streets of that city along with some of the other castle children, some of the less stiff nobles. It might have been a long time ago, but he could remember, and he longed to be young again all of a sudden. The feud between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had, at first, seemed very serious to Inuyasha. He had been very upset that Sesshoumaru had used the image of his mother against him._

_That hadn't lasted very long though. Each time Inuyasha fought with Sesshoumaru, he kept getting the feeling that Sesshoumaru was as lonely as he was, longing for a playmate of his caliber, and was trying to teach Inuyasha to be that. He never found out if that was really so, but he was a gut-instinct kind of guy. _

_Sesshoumaru didn't know how to start saying what he wanted to say. It had been far easier to talk to Kagome, and that was saying something because speaking quite literally his heart rather than his mind was very difficult for him. He looked at the city of which he knew three different breeds of man lived. Humans, half-breeds, and demons lived in peace there. Humans, half-breeds, and demons had all put their sweat and blood into making and maintaining the castle, city, and the wall that surrounded all of that. _

_Inuyasha closed his eyes and felt a small smile of remembrance come to his face. His arms were crossed defiantly over his chest and his ears twitched. 'Keh...' He could have laughed, would have laughed aloud, but just barely stopped himself. 'I remember this cliff.' He told his elder half-brother. 'We used to race from here to the castle with the guards and the younger noble children.'_

_Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly. Inuyasha could still remember something from so long ago? Sesshoumaru couldn't stop a painful clenching of his heart or what he assumed to be his heart. Did he remember Kaoi throwing him and his mother out? Did he remember Sesshoumaru struggling for them to be able to stay? _

'_Of course, Haruimaru won all the time. He was older and faster than the both of us. The guards would pretend they couldn't keep up, just to keep Lanais happy. She cried all the time if she lost but the rest of us weren't like the guards.' Inuyasha glanced at his elder brother and saw the quiet thoughtfulness in his eyes. 'Father disapproved of us leaving the safety of the city wall. He was constantly worried something would happen. If either of us came back with a scrape on our knees, our guards were lashed.'_

_Sesshoumaru remained silent. He listened to Inuyasha, also recalling the past, his joyful youth, and the days before their father had died. Those were the days that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru both longed to retire back to. The days of carefree nothingness. No responsibilities, no harsh, cruel fated memories to deal with, nothing._

'_Of course, father's worries were proven to be sound when our guards were killed one day and Haruimaru, Lanais, and you and me were kidnapped. We were taken into the forest and a ransom was sent for us, a barter for our bodies. Lanais was raped, right there, in front of us. She cried, but the perpetrator, the bastard wouldn't let her go. We were saved by someone who lived in the forest, surprisingly a young girl my age at the time. She was so fast I could hardly follow her movements, but she killed without care. And she was ruthless. She hid her entire body in cloth.'_

'_You remember all this?' Sesshoumaru inquired his voice softer than normal. He wasn't sure if he would be able to keep it steady if he was any louder. He remembered the event, and he didn't want to. It was a disgusting display. Lanais's screams had filled the clearing, and then suddenly they had stopped, but her mouth remained open in a silent scream. Her voice had never returned after that event. 'This was years ago.'_

_Inuyasha nodded, his eyes taking on a distant cast as he thought of his days bound to sleep on the God tree. He could remember reliving his life up until that very point several times through that fifty years worth of spelled sleep. 'Yeah. I was bound to the God tree for fifty years by Kikyou. I wasn't dead, but I wasn't alive. I was... I just, was. It was like being halfway between life and death, in sleep, but then again awake as I got to live my life again and again.'_

_Sesshoumaru had frowned. 'Father died and left the Western Lands to me. In just a few days, I shall be forced to return here whether or not I want to. If I do not come, there will be people sent to retrieve me. The kingdom, the people, wants their king to rule. I am going to need allies.'_

_Inuyasha felt a slight chill flow down his spine at the word 'retrieve'. He, personally, knew how strong Sesshoumaru was. Retrieve could mean alive, or dead, depending on the situation. Sesshoumaru was obviously going to return willingly. 'So, that was why you asked Kagome? It wasn't just so you could promise to help protect her. You're a man of your word, despite all unjust rumors on your behalf.' _

_Sesshoumaru felt a smile quirk his lips. Kagome was right. Inuyasha was smarter than he looked, which was saying quite a bit, since he looked more often than not like a fool. With proper training, he would make a perfect ally. Sesshoumaru wanted more for him though. He wanted Inuyasha to be comfortable._

'_You asked Kagome to take the blood oath because of the fact that whether or not Kagome is never one to break a promise, you needed proof for the kingdom.'_

_Sesshoumaru nodded, staring blindly at the castle. Kagome promised to come back. He hoped that he wasn't the first she broke a promise to. He hoped that she never broke one period. 'What do you see when you look out at the land before us?' Sesshoumaru inquired suddenly, catching Inuyasha slightly off guard at the change in subject. _

_Inuyasha looked first at his older brother and then out at the valley below. He wondered if the question was a trick question and searched the area. He saw the castle and city, the dark and clearly dangerous forest, the river, the mountains, and the Cliffside. He shifted his eyes left and right, trying to figure out what Sesshoumaru meant. 'Well, I do see a problem, if not anything else.' He muttered as his eyes scanned the terrain. _

'_And that is?' Sesshoumaru kept his voice emotionless._

'_The castle is trapped on pretty much all four sides. If I recall correctly, the city is filled with humans. The current is too strong in the river for the humans to try swimming to safety if the castle came under attack. The forest is too dangerous for human escape that way. Humans cannot scale the cliff or the mountain unaided because they're too steep at the base.'_

_Sesshoumaru rested a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder, much to the boy's surprise, pointing to a nearly unseen tower just behind the castle, facing the mountain. There were three other towers, completely identical to the one behind the castle on each of the other sides of the castle. 'The four towers signify the strength of the castle. The tower in the rear is one of Earth. All together there are twelve inhabitants of the four towers, three per tower.' _

_He continued, removing his hand from Inuyasha's shoulder, 'The inhabitants of the rear Earth tower can control stone beyond the abilities believable. Same goes for the other towers: the one facing us is the Wind and Lightning tower, the river facing tower is the Water tower, and the forest facing tower is the Fire tower. The castle is, because of it, impermeable to an attacking army.'_

'_I could easily get in.' Inuyasha had boasted. 'Take out the towers, and then lead my army through the forest. You said it yourself; the towers are the strength...and therefore, are the defense.'_

_Sesshoumaru chuckled, again taking Inuyasha by surprise by the show of emotion. 'I could use a person of your...superior...logic.' Using his one hand, he took out the parchment that Kagome's oath was on, and the dagger. 'Would you care to join me, little brother, in being the General to my armies? There is nothing you don't know that you cannot be taught.'_

_Inuyasha was so taken by surprise by the offer that he accidentally fell right off the edge of the cliff. Sesshoumaru peeked over the edge and tried not to laugh, but couldn't help himself. He burst out at the sight of Inuyasha clinging to a branch thirty feet below the edge, nearly one hundred feet above the river at the base of the cliff. _

'_This isn't funny!' Inuyasha yelped as his wild movements and unsteady grip on the odd tree branch that was quickly coming loose from the cliff wall made the branch sway further. 'Your sarcastic undertones are unnecessary! My logic is superior!' _

'_Yes. Superior logic indeed.' Sesshoumaru muttered, still laughing. He felt good to be able to laugh, even if only Inuyasha was around to know about it. _

**-End Flashback-**

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Sweet. Double sweet.**


	19. Why Questions

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho people. I'm just a fan._

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Chapter nineteen: Why do questions beginning with "why" never have an answer?

"Idiot." Seirra grumbled. Her body became see through and her clothes fell from her. Miroku wasn't gawking at Seirra. The time to gawk wasn't then. She took it upon herself to make sure Inuyasha was alright. She knew of how much Kagome liked Inuyasha, and Inuyasha was clearly on the brink of death from whatever had caused him the injuries. Sesshoumaru's sword would not work if Inuyasha was dead, and there always was the chance that his sword would not work at all.

Sango stepped aside, giving Seirra room to fall. Sesshoumaru watched Seirra carefully. Seirra was one of his oldest allies. The girl had saved his life three times in the past, and had been the first to swear a blood oath to him. He hadn't even asked, but she had created an oath parchment herself and sworn to protect him. She had done so before Kagome. Many months before Kagome had. Many years, even.

Sesshoumaru had been angered that Naraku had used her against him, but had also recognized that she had no choice but to obey the false Jewel shard's darkened heart. Seirra was fast, extremely fast. It had been very difficult to beat Seirra and release her from Naraku's control, and Sesshoumaru had found that fighting her had brought him grief and much internal conflict.

Seirra bent down over Inuyasha and her body literally seemed to absorb into his. There was something that a phantom demon could do that no other demon could. They could literally enter the body of a human or demon and leave no physical entity behind to risk their death. All she left behind was clothing to prove she even existed. In joining bodies with the other being, her spirit could heal the other demon right from the brink of death. There was a catch to that though; a phantom demon, once entered into a body, had to stay in that body for three days—for seventy two hours.

Inuyasha's wounds healed. No scar remained since there was no scab for the skin to form over. His hair did not re-grow instantly. Neither did his ear return to normal. The lopped off tip of his ear was the only place on him that scabbed and then healed. His eyes fluttered open and he sat up, holding his head. When he pulled his hand away and saw the blood there, he growled.

"What happened, Inuyasha?" Sango questioned. Kirara jumped into her arms and she held the young twin tails tightly in her arms, apprehensive for the safety of Kagome. Were there more dangerous demons in Kagome's time, ones even worse than Naraku? These thoughts worried her and Kirara seemed to notice her apprehension for the young twin tails tried to console the demon slayer by licking Sango's hand.

"Kagome's mom, that's what happened! She's got more power than Kagome does! I always thought that Kagome's power manifested itself stronger when she was over there, on the other side of the well, but Kagome's mom...She said that Kagome's dead because of me. She said Kagome went mad and killed herself." Inuyasha looked very upset. "Get out of my body, stupid phantom!" He yelled.

"**Why should I? Tee hee! And I hope you realize Kagome is not dead. She couldn't possibly be dead!"** It looked and sounded strange to hear Seirra speaking through Inuyasha's body, in his voice. He was the one speaking, so it was almost like he was taking to himself. But the little giggle she did was clearly all hers, only in his body. "Get out of my damn body! **No, I don't want to. I'm rather comfortable here. **Get out of my fucking body or I'll cut you out! **Go ahead, kill yourself, but you could at least thank me for healing you first. **I said out! **I can't leave for seventy two hours anyway. **Why not, wench? **Because, you twit, I'd end up killing you if I did."** Despite the serious situation, the scene actually looked rather comical.

Sesshoumaru sighed inaudibly. Was Kagome dead, or not? Had she really killed herself? Did she fail to keep her promise to him? Was she not really going to keep her word? If he could have jumped into the well and gone to Kagome's world, he would have. He would have found her body, dug it up if it was buried already, and revived her. As it was, he knew he couldn't.

"Inuyasha, quit bickering with Seirra. You're proving only to make yourself look a fool." Sesshoumaru turned and began walking away from the well. Everything about him read 'pissed off really bad'. "If you are coming to the coronation ceremony, I recommend you do so now." He had thought he shared something with Kagome. At least, he had thought she would keep her word. Now, he was afraid to know if she too had lied to him. He wouldn't admit that, but it was how he felt.

Miroku and Sango were forced to wonder about the three demons. Did they not care that there was a chance Kagome really had killed herself? Did they not wonder why? Both humans were worried. They wondered these things.

**-Streets of the Realm of Opposites-**

Kurama stared up at the dark shadow. His insides were queasy. He had to try to get her back. He hadn't gotten into an entire evenings worth of arguing over her for nothing. Her life meant something to someone, and he was intent on making sure she got back. Still, he felt sick.

Whatever that dark shadow was, it certainly was nothing good. It held Kagome far above any semblance of ground and there was no telling whether or not she was alive. His heart raced in his chest. The small demons from earlier were staring at him and the large shadow through the gates of their mansions, but they did not exit. That only went to prove the serious face of the situation. It was far too dark for Kurama to see where he would hit if he were to lash out with his rose whip, which made the situation even more dangerous.

Kagome wanted to scream out to her strange savior, but found no voice to do so. She felt like every bone in her body had been broken. The cold, slimy creature's extremely large hand kept squeezing her body painfully and she heard a popping sound every few seconds, the popping sound went side by side with the most excruciating pain she had ever known. Her voice had quickly died.

Thoughts raced through her head. Why couldn't she just have a normal life? Why did she have to be pulled through the well? Why couldn't her mother love her for her desire to complete her responsibilities? Why did her mother give her up and worse yet, lie about the reason? Why? Why? Why?

Tears flowed down her face as she questioned her reason for existence. The responsibility she had towards herself and towards others when faced with imminent death was far too much. Should she die and forget all those who she could help?

**-Flashback-**

_'Listen to me carefully,'Ka had said. 'Absorb every word I say...' Ka took Kagome by the shoulders and made sure Kagome was looking at Ka, in hopes that Kagome would concentrate better. 'I cannot go with you when you leave this mansion. I took a risk just going out to get you. If I'm out of this mansion for too long, I'll end up just like the rest of those demons out there.'_

'_What do you mean?' Kagome had asked, but Ka shook her head. She wouldn't answer that. There was no time for questions. _

'_Just listen, don't ask questions. Absorb my words. A Secret-Keeper is not just someone who people lay their trust in. We are thieves, Kagome. It is our job to find out secrets, even if no one wants us to know them. The only way we'll die is if we're killed, or have lived for a thousand years. You have power, Kagome. Use your power, both your priestess abilities and your Secret-Keeper's trust. _

_'Steal. It's the only way you're going to survive, and survive you must. I realize you're probably confused, but when the time comes, you'll realize you have to steal. Just don't get caught. A good thief is never caught. Now go. Make an illusion of yourself. The demons will follow the illusion instead of you, if you keep hidden. That is another thing you'll have to master... hiding in shadows.' _

_Kagome had many questions, but she left. The coronation ceremony was fast approaching and she had to get back to the well. She would not break her promise. _

**-End Flashback-**

Kagome felt her power inside of her. She knew she had to use it to escape.

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**Just another stroll through the park. Smile and look pretty, but inside, know there are scars. **


	20. Escape

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to, I really can't say I do. I must wait for the wedding first. _

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Chapter twenty: Escape

Her body was being crushed, or at least she felt like it was. She balled her fists and the rosary broke. The glowing jewel fell to the ground and smashed, emitting such a bright light that it was like the sun was coming right up off the ground. A scream filled the air, but it was not hers, and it was not her saviors. She felt herself falling, but it was almost as though she was falling on a feather, back and forth.

Sheer luck. That was her thought as she finally landed on the ground. She stiffly stood up. She didn't bother to look at the broken shards of the strange Jewel copy, because something inside her told her that it had gone already. Kurama raced over and grabbed her around the waist and apologized for not doing anything quicker. The entire scene had transpired in only sixty seconds, she was sure, but it had seemed like longer. That was how the world, no matter what world it was, worked. When a person was in pain, time slowed so that a minute felt like a year.

"Let's just get outta here." Kagome gasped her voice raspy and her body killing her. She hadn't realized it, but there was claw marks all over her back, though the black cloak remained untouched. Blood soaked the ripped nightshirt, and she felt it then. They made it to the fence and Kurama pushed her through the crack, exiting after her. He was, admittedly, too freaked out by the petrified scream to look back.

Once out of the crack in the fence, Kurama didn't stop. He wrapped his arm around her waist and began walking. He didn't care where; he just didn't want to stay there. His heart pounded against his ribcage and he had to admit he had been afraid. Beads of sweat dripped down his face and back. He headed for his mother's apartment. His head spun slightly, so he wasn't too far into noticing that she was bleeding.

"The shrine!" Kagome's voice remained raspy but she had a hard time not recognizing her grandfather's shrine, especially when it was the only one called "Higurashi Shrine" with a giant sign right next to the stairs. Her head was spinning from the loss of blood, but she was sure that Inuyasha would be waiting her on the other side of the well. He always waited for her there. "Thanks for your help." She told her savior.

She didn't know his name, but she gave him a smile—even if he wouldn't be able to see it in the dark—and managed to worm her way out of his grasp and race up the stairs, stumbling slightly. In her excitement, she had completely forgotten about the Jewel shards at Yusuke's house and her weapons inside her mother's house. He was so shocked for a moment that when he finally did race after her, she was gone. There was no indication where she had gone either. Everything about her just went poof, her aura, scent, everything was gone.

**-Spirit World-**

Koenma had never had a more seriously sore bottom. His father had whooped him good. There were tears in his eyes and he wanted to start bawling but he sucked it in. He would probably have been roasted toddler if the girl, Kagome, had not gotten out alive from the Realm of Opposites. But now she was gone again, disappeared to who knew where. Not even his monitor could find her and if she was alive, or even dead, it should have been able to find her spirit.

He saw golden eyes staring at him from the doorway and yelped. "I'm sorry; I don't know where she is!" He cried.

He hid his face in his hands, but peeked through his fingers and saw his father's eyes narrow at him, a small smile grace his face. "That's alright. I know where she is." His father muttered. Koenma dashed underneath his desk. If it was up to him, he would most definitely have had different parents. His mother was creepy, and his father was by all means insane with his weird attitude shifts.

"Darling! Stop hiding under there! Mommy wants to see you!" Koenma could have started bawling when he heard his mother's voice. How his father even put up with the woman was beyond him, honestly. He closed his eyes as tight as he could, hoping against all hope that the pain in his rear was a figment of his imagination and his parents were not there.

Unfortunately, he wasn't about to get his wish. His mother pushed his red chair aside and pulled him out, hugging him. His mind was screaming, 'No! I have been caught! Ambushed by the enemy!' He returned his mother's exuberant hug with a less-than-excited one of his own. He knew there was no escape from her. She was an expert at hide and seeks games.

**-Human World-**

Kurama made it home very late that evening, his entire body screaming from both running so much, being cramped in a tiny hiding-hole for hours on end, and from the unfortunate realization that his body was littered with tiny cuts and lacerations from the many fights he had gotten into with the strange look-alike demons. He hadn't realized that the demons had actually landed hits on him. He wished the girl hadn't raced off. That meant he would have to make excuses to Koenma and the toddler would think him incompetent.

He was surprised to find that Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei were all at his apartment, waiting for him well after midnight, in his room. Yusuke wore royal purple pants and a white top and sat quite literally on top of Kurama's desk, Kuwabara wore gray pants and a white top and sat in the desk chair, and Hiei wore his customary black garments and sat on the window sill. Kurama wondered absently if Hiei even had any other clothes but threw that aside. If Hiei wanted to wear only blacks and gray, that was his deal.

"Whoa!" Kuwabara whispered under his breath. He wasn't stupid enough to shout, especially when Kurama's mother was right in the next room sleeping. "What happened to you?"

Kurama felt his face fall into a deadpan expression. "I've had the most wonderful evening of my life." Kurama muttered sarcastically as he slumped onto his bed. His tired eyes flickered closed for a moment but then he sat up and placed his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes.

"Well," Yusuke joked, "Then I guess you really are into the rough type." Kurama and Kuwabara laughed both quietly, Hiei smirked. Yusuke was the type who would joke about such.

"Any luck on the dog-demon?" Kurama asked them, pulling off his ragged red shirt and inspecting the damage on his torso. It wasn't as bad as it had looked. Most of the blood on him belonged to Kagome, but he didn't mention that, especially with Kagome gone. He had searched for her for three hours, but when he found he wasn't going to find her, he just headed home. Using his ragged shirt, he wiped the remaining blood drips from his arms and hands. He couldn't get all of it, but he managed most of it.

"He came from an abandoned well-house. The current resident of the shrine must have seen him through a window because she came out. This woman was quite powerful. He didn't stand a chance and when I looked for his remains, I found nothing." Hiei said. They explained how they had been taking shifts watching, so as to seem less conspicuous. Hiei had been the only one there to see the woman.

"Yeah, Koenma said you were on a solo mission though." Kuwabara whispered. The four became silent when they heard movement in the next room, a sign that Kurama's mother was moving around.

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**I hear tell it's unnerving, that I update so fast. It's just because most of this is already thought out and written out. Sheer luck, in otherwords.**


	21. Deadly Fall

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Heh... I can honestly say that I own the cliff off of which Kagome's imminent death will haunt._

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Chapter twentyone: Death Drop from the Cliff Top

Kagome grumbled irritably as she began climbing out of the well. Inuyasha was normally always there to greet her, but she saw no Inuyasha. There was no indication at all—no sounds, no light from a fire—there was nothing to tell that anyone ever even was there.

When she finally managed to stumble over the lip of the well, her back screaming in agony from the painful and probably poisonous claw marks, she collapsed right there beside the well. There was a pool of dried blood on the ground she saw. There were handprints in blood on the well and they weren't her own. At first, she worried that an injured Inuyasha had gone to her world but then saw that the blood trail headed away from the well, not towards it if the footprints were telling the truth.

She stood, though it pained her both physically from her wounds and mentally from the suggestion that it was Inuyasha, she knew she had to continue on especially if it was Inuyasha hurt. She hated to see Inuyasha suffer even in the slightest. Kagome lost the trail in the soft moonlight as soon as she entered the tree line, so despite the blow to her dignity it would give her, she got on her hands and knees and began to crawl, groping for the next spot of dried blood and hoped against hope that she was following the right thing.

Somewhere close to an hour later, she heard laughter around her. It was, perhaps, because of the fact that she'd been so absorbed into finding the dried bloodspots that she had not realized there was someone so close to her and so jolted up, searching for the intruder. The wounds in her back burned as she jolted up and they cracked open, bleeding profusely yet again. They had barely scabbed over, but now those scabs were broken loose. The pain washed over her body and despite there seemed to be someone nearby, she had no clue whether or not they were friend or foe, she heaved. Everything she had in her disappeared from her gut and began to flow all over the uneven ground.

Coughing and heaving, she felt hands go around her waist. Before she knew what had happened, her back was tight to someone's—a female's, if the enlarged chest was any indication—chest. A cool hand was placed on her stomach, underneath the night shirt and black cloak. Another cool hand was placed on her forehead. Whoever it was didn't seem to have dangerous intentions, or else Kagome was sure she would have been dead already but she was too busy emptying her insides to ponder her situation.

"My lady," Kagome heard a male voice object. "Forget the human. We have to go." The male voice was stern, imperious, yet humbled at the same time. It was a low voice, not quite as rich as Sesshoumaru's but still low and baritone.

As the man spoke, Kagome felt her body convulse and she knew she had finally approached her final days. She shouldn't have ignored the claw marks on her back. They were poisonous, she realized. There was no question to it, since the woman was only holding her slightly. The woman was doing nothing to her.

"This child," the woman spoke calmly, tightening her grasp on Kagome and pinning Kagome's arms to her sides, "Ryuichi, do you feel that? It is in her spirit—in her soul."

The man, known as Ryuichi, could not understand what the woman was trying to get at. He saw only a human girl, nothing else. The light of the dawning morning began to creep into the trees, dark and gloomy as the early hours often were. The man looked at his mistress, the demon woman holding the human girl. Her eyes were crinkled with amusement as she held the human girl to her, the girl's head on her shoulder tightly. Clearly the human was pretty, but her body, any part that could be seen, was either bruised or cut or blood stained. The human continued to try to convulse, but only her legs could twitch.

"Ryuichi," His mistress said quietly. Ryuichi saw that her normally brown eyes had taken on a dangerous gleam, strained with red. He did not need further warning; he turned to the trees and walked away, heading towards where he knew the three hidden guards remained. He heard a scream—it was not his mistress that called for help, begging for the end of the fire entering their blood. It was the human girl.

Ryuichi's bubble gum pink hair hid his identically colored pink eyes as tears formed there. The girl would have been better off dead than to live and enjoy the curse that he knew his mistress was placing on her. He felt the presence of the three hidden guards appear and looked up at the blue haired triplets. Each of them had white-silver eyes that fed off the impression they were blind. Each wore minimal armor, as armor would affect their speed and abilities. Instead, they covered themselves with clothes that were green, brown, and black to help them blend in with their surroundings.

"Ryuichi, you're going soft." One of the triplets, Kisho, muttered lowly as the gloomy gray morning light began to strengthen. Ryuichi could not think of any better atmosphere for the death cadence of the mistress's blood curse. "Now, you do not so much as watch?"

Kozue, the second of the triplets was defined from the others by the lack of half of his chin and the large scar that covered the missing bone, crossed his arms over his chest. "The blood curdling scream…The scream that is heard, yet at the same time not. Such beauty in simplicity…" Kozue grinned, looking rather sinister with half of his lower jaw gone. His white-silver eyes flashed maliciously.

Akio, the third of the triplets looked exactly like Kisho. There was no way to define him apart from Kisho, no scar, no missing lower piece of his jaw. Kozue had lost that piece to his jaw in a fight with another demon. Akio walked over to Ryuichi, a rather unimpressed look in his eyes. "Get used to it, Ryuichi." He said flatly.

The screaming stopped and just moments later their mistress came into view of the dawn light shining down into Inuyasha forest. She held the girl's hand and led the girl after her. Ryuichi turned to look at his mistress and found that, as usual, she had changed appearance. Her hair had been blond and hung only to her earlobes before, but was now black and hung to her waist. Her usually brown eyes remained ruby red after what Ryuichi had dubbed "feeding". Her pallid skin had become rosy.

The girl, on the other hand, looked rather worse for wear. She collapsed onto the ground and the four guard's mistress let her fall. Ryuichi went and knelt down beside her, checking her pulse. It was faint, but there. "Why did you do that?" Ryuichi whispered, knowing full well that he would be heard.

His mistress smiled eerily, looking genuinely happy. "What fool stays out in the dark with no protection and expects to remain unscathed? I teach lessons, Ryuichi. I give gifts. She is no exception."

Ryuichi's eyes snapped open. "You give curses, not gifts!" He sneered. He looked at Kagome's neck and saw the bite marks. "What lessons do you teach other than fear? You scar!"

"Ryuichi!" The triplets yelled in unison. Ryuichi gathered the half-unconscious human into his arms and began walking away. He would have no more of it. Whether or not the girl was a human did not matter to him, honestly. The fact that she was cursed and he knew that his 'mistress' would have left her there to try to live again or to just die from the curse made him take action. Ryuichi was a demon, true, but not all demons were dangerous, evil, or greedy.

"Akio, Kisho, Kozue! Kill the traitor!" The way that the demon woman said it, so matter of fact, made Ryuichi positive that he had made the correct choice in the matter. His blood boiled in his veins and he wanted to turn around and kill the three phantom demons and the blood-crest demon woman. He had a choice to redeem himself. Death or not, he was going to do his best to do the right thing and at least try to save the girl.

Ryuichi wasted no time in setting down the girl. He knew if he did they would kill the girl, so he hung onto her jumping away just as the triplets would have come down on him. "Hah!" He shouted, landing on a thick tree branch. He did not remain there long. If he had, he would have been skewered. He jumped from branch to branch. His armor slowed him down and he knew the three phantom demons were superior in speed, so he did what he could to make up for it, racing left to right and then back again.

When he came to a cliff that overshadowed what looked to be a large valley, he couldn't stop himself in time and his momentum carried both him and the semi-conscious Kagome right off the edge. The triplets stopped easily and peered over the edge. By some lucky chance, Ryuichi had managed to grab hold of a branch that jutted out from the cliff with one hand and held Kagome by the wrist with the other hand. Then, before the triplets could do anything to assure the two's death, the branch broke from the cliff and they began to fall down again to a dangerous, most likely painful, death below on the rocks.

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**NO! CLIFF! EDGE! OF! SEAT! ANTICIPATION! EARLY MORNING! (that's enough of that...)**


	22. Mother Dislikes

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Did you know that Rumiko Takahashi created the fur pelt on Sesshoumaru's shoulder as a decorative fashion statement? Yes, it is a pelt; no it is not a tail no matter how much you want it to be. Yes, I own my creative other characters such as Seirra the phantom demon and Ryuichi the bubble gum pink haired demon whom I have yet to give a specific demon base; no, I sadly do not own either Yu Yu Hakusho group, or Inuyasha group. Isn't that just crazy?_

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Chapter twentytwo: Mother Dislikes

**-Human Realm-**

Kurama sighed with relief as the movements in his mother's room stopped and looked at his friends. The honest truth was that his mother did not approve of his choice of friends. She considered Hiei a "freaky Goth", Yusuke an "aggressive punk", and Kuwabara a "gangly geek". None of these definitions were true, of course, but he couldn't stop his mother from thinking how she would.

With a glance, he saw Yusuke looked rather angry and tired. Undoubtedly Yusuke had noticed Kagome's mysterious disappearance. With her gone, he would think she had gone to see her supposed "gang buddies" that Yusuke claimed she had. While Kurama couldn't know if that was true or not he found it hard not to believe after seeing her in person. Despite the trusting aura she seemed to exude, the odd tattoos spoke volumes of negativity.

"What was your solo mission?" Kuwabara questioned again, talking even quieter than before. It was well known among the friends about Kurama's mother's dislike of them. That was another reason why Kurama had been surprised to see them waiting for him in his room. Generally they never came to Kurama's, since his mother thought they were a bad influence on him.

"Yeah, Kurama. Have you seen my cousin lately?" Admittedly, Yusuke's quiet tone was slightly intimidating, but Kurama was a master thief in his previous life as a fox demon. He was able to sit under tight pressure and not squirm so much as an inch. Still, he was kind of nervous, since Yusuke had practically accused him of seeing Kagome. He had seen her, but he wasn't about to tell Yusuke considering the fact that he kind of lost her as well. She could be in any kind of danger.

"Your cousin?" Kurama asked, feigning innocence. Hiei disappeared out the window just as the door creaked open. Kurama could never have been more thankful for his mother's dislike of his friends than at that very moment. His mother looked positively livid. He wouldn't even have to lie...yet. Doubtless, Yusuke would try to catch him and ask, and Kurama got the feeling that somehow Yusuke knew, but for now, his mother had saved him. That, and she was about to go into a rant.

**-Spirit World-**

Koenma miserably chomped on his breakfast. His mother had taken his pacifier away, which had, of course, not made him very happy. He watched his mother and father speaking farther down the table. As usual, they kept distanced from each other, same as every other night.

Koenma was an only child because his parents did not marry for love. His father got his heir on the first try, thus Koenma was born—out of necessity. He shoved a spoon filled with food into his mouth, managing to drip it onto his clothes. That didn't matter to him; clothes could be washed. Sometimes Koenma got the distinct feeling that his father hated him because his mother was who she was.

Whatever had happened between the two had happened long ago and Koenma just wished they would get over it already and be happy with what they had. He knew that some times things just weren't that easy to get over, but he still wished. Any day now, he was supposed to reach demon maturity and a mate would be selected for him. That would probably start yet another feud between his mother and father—an argument over who he should marry.

"Still does not constitute justice for your actions." His father said sounding as stiff as ever. His father never used a warm voice, especially when his mother was around. As usual, Koenma pretended to be dozing off at the table just so he could get away from their arguing.

"She is long since dead by now." His mother stated firmly, her wild eyes glancing at Koenma. Koenma let his face fall into his food to add further effect to his charade. "You're digging yourself a grave, dear." She sounded condescending more than anything else, and the nickname was purely superficial. She was, by all accounts, a gold digger. She loved money and power. Well, she could have married no one more powerful than Koenma's father.

"Koenma, go back to bed." He heard his father call down the table. "Really, why you even woke him up this early is beyond me." Koenma was sure not to make a response. Seconds later, he felt himself being picked up by one of the servants.

His mother's response was said in the same derogatory, cutting tone that she always used. "He'll reach demon maturity soon—"

His father cut in, "Could be days, could be years."

He was carried to his room and once the door was closed, he opened his eyes and looked at the young female servant while he wiped the food off his face with his shirt. It was a usual morning when his mother and father were in the Spirit World.

Mitsuko, the female servant, grinned at him as she set him down on the floor. She understood, probably more than anyone, how Koenma felt. Her blond curls flowed down her back like a waterfall and her beautiful pale skin gave her the look of an angel, at least to Koenma anyway. Her gorgeous green eyes captivated his and held his deeply. His tiny heart beat in his chest so much that he thought it would explode every time he saw her.

Her body was thin and curvaceous, her legs were long, and she had a bosom any man would desire just to curl up against. Koenma was the only one who ever got that pleasure, though, and he knew it. He would soon reach demon maturity, though, and that meant that Mitsuko would be replaced for being his personal servant and some guy demon would take her place.

He went into his bathroom and washed up for bed while Mitsuko walked over to his bookshelf and chose the bedtime story. As soon as he was in his pajamas, he went back into his expansive room that had hardly anything in it—result of all the neglect from his parents, the inattentiveness—and hopped up onto his bed, crawling back under the covers that had gone cold.

Mitsuko crawled up on the bed with a book in hand. It was because Koenma was half blood-crest demon that it was taking so long to reach demon maturity, but lately, Koenma couldn't help but think his mind had reached maturity before his body. As he watched Mitsuko come nearer to him, he could almost see down her shirt and the cleavage that was hidden there. He couldn't help but think rather unnecessary thoughts.

He couldn't explain it, but Mitsuko was definitely something special. He hardly knew her, they never really talked or anything, but he still felt like she meant more than just anyone. The only thing she was supposed to be was a nursemaid. She cleaned his room, read him books, and then otherwise remained silent. She was like a shadow, going everywhere he went except his office. George was his office helper.

He could never think of Mitsuko as a nursemaid. He confused himself so much because he didn't know what he meant by that. The thought that raced through his little head was, she is more to me than that. What more could she be? He was seriously starting to think he was going mad. Was there really anything more to be than just a nursemaid to him?

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**The reviews are awesome! I read Iridescent Twilight's review and just started laughing. Sorry, humorous image for me when I read it. And the others that said "cliffy", I burst out laughing to as well, because it was funny. They had just fell off a cliff... Er... Maybe I'm the only one seeing the humor though... _Another chapter very soon... (within the next hour). _**


	23. Excitement

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I do drugs as much as I own the rights to Inuyasha and YuYu Hakusho. In case you were wondering, I don't even take Tylonal. Pain is strength. If I can live through it, I'm only that much stronger.__

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Chapter twentythree: Excitement

**-Feudal Era- **

It was a rather busy day for the ferryman's business on both sides of the river. All year before then had been devoted to creating extra ferries and enlisting extra help from the commoners so that nobles from all around the countryside could come to see their new king's coronation parade.

Only the higher nobles, those closer to the crown and more sworn into their loyalty, had gotten to see the actual crowning which had taken place the early that morning before the dawn even had a chance to rise, but now there was a parade heading through the capital city and towards the river to honor the King and his chosen new council members.

Ferryman Meia, a human of thirty years of age, had worked the ferry boats business for over ten years and before that had been in the military. He was respected for his strength among his peers and kept his strength up by spending his free-time swimming in the current of the river with a rope around his waist just incase he got too tired and couldn't make it back.

In all his days, he had never thought even one complaint. He liked his job, he loved his country, and he respected all of man whether they were demons or humans. In return, most of the people who came on his ferry also respected him, but for the most part those people had always been commoners. In less than half a day, the valley had become packed with lesser nobles all awaiting the moment when their new King would parade the valley and then cross the river on the ferry for the first time as King.

Meia was particularly happy that day, because in a matter of straws being picked, his ferry had been chosen to await the Royal caravan. He would have the honor of carrying the King and his chosen council members across the river. He was rather excited about that fact. Plus, he would get to show his team's strength during the day-time high-tide.

Meia looked out in the direction of the castle. The sun glinted off the mismatched castle, and even closer than that he could see the Royal caravan. He rubbed the sweat off his bald head and bare chest. It was a rather hot day out, even near the river. Normally the wind blew harder over water, but that day seemed to be just plain humid. Even the surface of the river remained undisturbed, though Meia knew perfectly well that underneath the surface the water was heading dangerously fast.

It was only a ten minute wait before the caravan was close enough for Meia to see the faces of the nobility he would carry across the river. He could easily pick out the breeds of the demons, and he took notice of the status of the humans. There was a young human girl, a female demon slayer and a male monk among those around the King.

Among those that were demons, there was a male dog-demon, clearly a half-breed since he was the King's younger half-brother if the quickly spreading rumors were any indication, three male wolf-demons, a twin tails cat in transformed form walking beside the demon slayer, and a young fox demon sitting on the shoulder of the half-breed dog-demon.

Those were just the ones that it appeared the King had chosen to join the council. No king before then had ever chose a human or half-breed to be on council, so it was quite a step forward, Meia thought. He doubted the young fox cub and the human child were members of the council, but obviously they were important enough to join the crossing. Beside the King was the previous Regent, Kaoi and a few of the older council members.

Another thing that Meia noticed was a change was that the King walked instead of rode a steed of some sort. His face was completely blank. There was no telling whether or not he was happy or sad or somewhere in between. Where it appeared Kaoi was talking to the King, the King did not respond even half-way.

"Meia, they's comin'!" Meia heard shouted from one of his ropes-men.

He grinned at his crew. "Prepare the ropes! Make sure they're ready!" The ferries that crossed the river were set on extremely thick ropes made for strength. Each ferry had its personal track across. The captain of the ferry kept the strength of each side pulling even or else the ferry would turn and risk the ferry going off the rope tracks. Instead of oarsmen, the ferries had ropes-men that would pull on the ropes on either side of the boat in unison to the count.

Within moments, a grinning ropes-man rushed up, muscles bunching with preparedness. "Meia, ropes ready!" He saluted and raced to his place. Yes, it was a very exciting day for the men, without a doubt. Meia turned back to watch the Royal caravan continue to make its way closer. It was only a matter of moments until they boarded.

**-Elsewhere- **

Her smile was broad and malicious as the triplets returned finally. She sat upon the ground in the center of the clearing, awaiting their return. From the identical smirks on the triplets' faces, she could only assume they had been successful. She had been surprised when the three had not come back within an hour of the chase, but apparently Ryuichi had been faster than anticipated, or smarter.

She was sure that was over. Ryuichi would never betray her again, or anyone for that matter. Her ruby eyes glowed in the bright morning sunlight and she was filled with anticipation, wondering what words they would use to tell her the good news and who would tell her it—would they do it in unison? She loved to hear them speak in unison. It gave her a feeling of domination over them.

She ran her hands over her slender form, feeling her body perk with excitement. She was slightly disappointed that she had lost the human girl, but she shrugged that off mentally. Ryuichi had been so determined to "save" the girl, that he had run off carrying her and ultimately that meant the girl would have had to die too.

"So?" she demanded when the phantom brothers were in front of her. She was admittedly aroused at the thought of Ryuichi's blood flowing over the ground. Her vicious attitude brought a dangerous glint to her ruby eyes. Her black hair fell over one shoulder. She was not like most female demons and humans. She did not put her hair up in a bun. She did not particularly care about that.

Akio, Kozue, and Kisho moved close to her. Kozue moved around behind her and began to massage her shoulders and back, a grin in his eyes. Kozue, with an identical grin in his eyes, began massaging her feet. Akio straddled her and licked her nose with a chuckle. She felt so very excited. Her favorite treatment from the three of them only came when they succeeded.

"My lady," Akio whispered huskily in her ear, pressing closer to her. His chest was pushed right up against her bosom and he could literally smell her arousal. All three of them knew she loved their voices, especially when it was directed towards her like Akio was doing.

"Are they dead?" She felt almost like her insides were twisting with anticipation.

"Ryuichi could not halt himself. He raced right off the cliff and they landed in the shallows of Snake River, at the base." Akio opened his left hand. Blood; fresh, moist, sticky blood covered his palm completely. He ran that hand through her hair and then down her cheek. She giggled. She knew they had been successful. When Akio ran the bloody hand over her lips, she tasted it. The blood was both Ryuichi's and the girl's, so she knew Akio was not lying. They had found the bodies, and Akio had brought back the proof of their deaths.

To reward them for their good work, she gave them something she knew they would enjoy. She herself enjoyed it very much. She gave them pleasure, and they returned it. She could never imagine only having one man. The thought was pure horror to her.

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**Questions, questions... Hmm. I love liars. That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha.**


	24. Drowning

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Free your soul. Drink bitter lemon water. But that still doesn't make you own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. __

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Chapter twentyfour: Drowning

The feeling of waterlogged lungs and trying to clear them was not a very fun feeling. She was drowning and she knew it. The problem with that was, despite her heavy pain, she did not want to die. Her eyes burned as the water of Snake River got through her closed eyelids. She would have swum or at least tried to if she could move her limbs.

**-Flashback- **

_Kagome felt her eyes flicker open and was pained by the light of the day as it seemed to burn into her pupils. Her entire body was in more pain than she had ever imagined possible—not even the pain of being squished in the hand of the giant shadow in the Realm of Opposites compared to the pain she was in at the moment. Looking up above her, she found there was a cliff there—a very tall cliff. _

_Around her was a moist substance. She couldn't move her head to see what it was, but she could just barely see from the corner of her eye that she was near a water source. Her ears were logged with the moist substance that she assumed was probably water. She would have sat up, but her body wouldn't move. She couldn't move her fingers, her toes, or her head. Nothing about her would budge. She could move her eyes, but the light hurt so bad she squeezed them shut to favor darkness. _

_When she saw shadow come through her eyelids, she realized something was blocking the sun. Tentatively, she peered through her eyelids a moment before she saw three phantom demons that looked eerily like Seirra. She wondered if there was any relation at all between the three men and her friend. _

_The three demons were saying something, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. The water crashing in her ears drowned out their voices. She tried to read their lips, but only caught something like, "They'll die anyway. Let the tide take them." One of them reached down towards her and touched her. She could feel their hand brush her face, but not her body. She was sure they touched her stomach, arms, and chest as well, but she only felt the touch on her face. _

_The demon pulled his hand away and she saw blood on it. Horror filled her gut. I must be paralyzed... Did I fall from that cliff? She thought and her eyelids fluttered closed again. She remained conscious, but she could not find the energy to keep them open. _

_It was painful, waiting for death to claim her soul. She wanted peace from the pain coursing through her. By all rights, if she really had fallen from the cliff above, she shouldn't have survived, even paralyzed as she seemed to be. She felt the water around her continue to rise as the high tide came in, but she only felt it rise against her pained face. _

_It was strange to think she was pained all over her body, yet could not feel touch, but somehow she found that to be true. She was in so much pain that something as simple as a touch did not even raise the amount of pain she was in. _

_As predicted by the strangely familiar looking blue haired phantom demons, she felt a floating sensation as the tide rose. She tried to hold her breath so that she would float and it worked minimally. She saw clouds in the sky, a beautiful day. Why could the sky not feel her pain? Why couldn't it just rain her sorrow like it had for Sesshoumaru. Her irrational and suffering mind did not reason that it had been threatening rain for days before Sesshoumaru admitted to her. She could not see reason that the rain had been coincidental, pure and simple. _

_Slowly she began to sink, as she could not continue to keep her lungs filled with air constantly. Not with the pain proving to be more devoting of her attention. She would have smiled if she could have. Irony could be such a sweet, yet devastating thing. She had wanted to die. She had wanted to go home. She got both her wishes, all in one. She was home, and she was dying there. _

_She wondered why it was so easy to keep her lungs filled with water when it was heavier than air. She was suffocating on the liquid in her lungs. Her soul was being tortured slowly. Obviously the Grim Reaper was laughing at her, making her suffer. _

_Why shouldn't he? She thought bitterly. Everyone else does it to me, why should he be any sort of exception? _

_Kagome wondered where her life's mental flashback was. Did it hit heavy traffic on the way to her? She had always heard tell of near-death cases where the victim saw their life flash before their eyes. Of course, she knew she was going to die, so maybe that was the difference? Only those who live to talk about it got to see their life again? _

_She was getting woozy from the lack of oxygen. Her head was spinning. She couldn't move to save herself even if she wanted to. She felt something hit her and realized that something or someone else was in the water with her, quite possibly drowning as well. Or maybe it was some water demon, come to end her suffering? _

_She had floated far enough out into the river, she was sure. She felt her head spinning even more because her body was literally turning circles under water as the current pulled her along at an alarming speed. If she could have done so, she would have heaved. Unfortunately, there was nothing left inside her to vomit. Her mental flashback hit her then and actually gave her hope. Maybe she would make it? _

_She saw her very first day at pre-school. She had to ride the school bus and was nervous about it, but her father saw her off. He stood there and held her hand as they waited for it and then he helped her onto the first step. 'I can only help you make the first step, love.' He had told her. 'You've got to take the rest. You can do it. I believe in you.' _

_She had taken a deep gulp and stepped nervously up on the second step. The door closed behind her and she took the third step. She saw little kids scattered all over the place, giggling and laughing. There was a rather nervous boy in the front seat, hugging his backpack and staring out the window as though if he did it long enough, it might actually jump right out of the wall and start talking to him. _

_The image of the nervous boy made her choke back her fear of the big world, the big yellow bus, and march over to his seat. A big smile formed on her face as she sat next to him. He jumped, startled, and stared at her. She held out her hand to him and smiled wider. He seemed to calm and he let go of his bag a little so he could shake her hand. 'I'm Kagome Lynn Akiko Higurashi!' Kagome chirped. _

_'My name is Hojou Tseni Hertsuka.' His voice was shaky, Kagome remembered noticing. He shook her hand tentatively, but gradually his grip got a little firmer. _

_Kagome giggled. 'Hojou, do you want to be my best friend in the whole wide world?' She asked. He nodded. He had been her first friend other than her cousin, Yusuke, who really didn't count. Through the years, they had grown far together. Hojou had fallen in love with her, but she could never return the feelings. Still, he remained her best friend. Later on, she recalled, she and Hojou had met three giggly girls and together the five created an odd group. _

_She saw her tenth birthday party. Her father was beaming at her, holding her mother in his arms. Grandpa was ranting about the use of protective wards against demon invasion and how if the world was besieged by demons, the only safe place would be their shrine. Souta hobbled around with cake on his face and G.I. Joe action figures, playing happily. Kagome's Aunt Atsuko was snapping pictures with a wide grin and Yusuke had his arm protectively around Kagome's shoulder, boldly proclaiming that his cousin needed protection. _

_Kagome's four best friends, Hojou, Eri, Yuka, and Ayume all were there. Kagome remembered that night had been the craziest sleep over party ever. Yusuke had gotten into Kagome's mother's shaving cream and had decided to decorate everyone with it. _

_She saw the day her father died, protecting her. It was just like people to die protecting her. She was weak and couldn't protect herself anyway. It had been a bank robbery and Kagome had gone with her father when he went to cash a check. _

_The bank robbers had threatened that if the safe wasn't cracked and money wasn't cashed out, everyone would die. Kagome's father had taken her bullet, and died because of it. She had held him in her arms as he died. _

_She remembered the day she had been pulled down the well, on her fifteenth birthday. She had met Inuyasha, broken the jewel, and been thrown into a wild adventure. She had met Shippou, Miroku, Sango and Kirara. Kohaku made his appearance, Sesshoumaru made his appearance, Seirra, Kouga, Ginta, Hakkaku, Ayami... All of them protected her. Even Sesshoumaru, later on, had protected Kagome. He had saved her, and he had brought her back to life. _

_If she could have cried at the next memories, she would have. She saw her mother, sending her to live with her aunt. She saw the nameless boy in black, pained because he couldn't find a way to speak with his sister. She saw her cousin and Aunt trying to keep her from hanging with 'gang' types. She saw Naraku, both the one in the past and the one in the future with their plotting look in their eyes. She saw Sheena and Haru, mischievous twins, both as perverted as Miroku and recalled that they were Future Naraku's children, somewhat. _

_She recalled Ka teaching her mathematics and joking and cooking and seeing the woman, her mirror image, naked. 'We are thieves.' That was what Ka had been trying to tell her. 'We learn the secrets of others, even when they don't want us to know. Stealing is our job. I know you can get out alive. I have faith in you.' _

_She saw her savior, rescuing her from the Realm of Opposites. She could tell he was troubled, maybe not much, but some. She never got to see his face, but she could see his outline. She saw a laughing demon woman's face and felt the pain as the woman's fangs bit down into her neck. She felt the juices, the venom, flowing through her blood in the most excruciating way. She remembered screaming. _

_She remembered the voice of another person. She remembered being picked up by strong capable arms and carried away. Then, she remembered falling. _

**-End Flashback- **

I want to live. She thought suddenly, as though the thought had never been thought before. I want to live. I don't want to die, not here, not now. Is it too late? Her lungs were filled completely with water. She couldn't move her arms or legs no matter how hard she tried. She realized then the reason. Her arms and legs were bound to her body using rope. Had the phantom demons done this?

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**Fun info: Sesshoumaru's real birth given name would have been Sesshou. The suffix '-maru' is something young men add to their names to show they have matured. It defines male adulthood. **


	25. Catching Bodies Afloat

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Free your soul. Drink bitter lemon water. But that still doesn't make you own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. __

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_

Chapter twentyfive: Catching Bodies Afloat

Despite the pain, despite the agony in her veins, she struggled to move, to get free. Her eyes shot open and, before they went dark as the flowing water attacked them, she saw the body of another bound person. Something inside her told her that was her savior. He was bound and tied as well, but he was sinking faster because of the heavy armor he wore. Chain mail was not water's best floating friend, she guessed ironically.

I have to get free! I have to help him! She struggled. Who was there to protect her but herself? She saw no one. There was no one. She had to do it. Her exhausted, oxygen deprived brain struggled to recall the mathematics she so desperately needed to learn. When she couldn't, she thought, Screw it. Before I'm going out; I'll take this world with me!

She, instead of concentrating on math, concentrated on the coiling power inside her. It obeyed her command and she tried something new. She tried to mold the power to her own limitations, rather than the limitations of mathematics, the proven method. She went the way of the wind, like Kagura had when she died. She tried something new. It worked, somewhat. The bindings around her arms burst apart. She couldn't do mathematics, so she was forced to work around it.

Her body screamed as she needed oxygen. Still the water pulled at her, just as her feet were still bound. She forced herself to move, despite the complaints of her body. Part of her wanted her to just let herself drown and end the pain. The other part of her wanted to live so she could prove to the world that she was worth something. She wanted to be somebody to someone. She wanted to protect, not be protected.

Her fingers fumbled with the restraints around her ankles and she freed herself, forcing herself to move against the current and reach the drowning man. She could see, but barely and her eyes were killing her for the torture she was putting them through. She was almost swept back by the current but managed to grab the man's chain mail.

She could never be more grateful for sheer luck. If any time she needed it, it was then, when she and the unknown man were at the bottom of the river. She wrapped her pained legs around his waist to keep a hold of him for sure and wondered how she could possibly be still conscious, but either way was grateful for it.

As soon as she had a hold of his waist with her legs, she placed her hands on each of his shoulders. Once more, she looked inside her for that untamed power, molding and bending it to her will. She wanted that chain mail gone. She watched her hands glow as she carefully let loose her power. Somehow, it really didn't matter whether or not she had air in her lungs. As long as she got the man free, she just knew she would be alright.

The chain mail melted where her hands were, burning the man, but a few burns were better than drowning she reasoned. Her hands were perfectly fine, even though she was clawing at the molten metal. She didn't wonder why, but she didn't have time to. Finally he was free. She held tight to him and, despite the fact that she was half-dead, she kicked herself and the man into the upper current, letting it carry them up. Even though they broke the surface, she was still drowning from the water in her lungs, but she held onto him in hopes that he survived even if she didn't.

Her last thought before everything went black was: I contradict myself too often.

**-Elsewhere, downriver- **

Meia felt very proud of his team as he shouted "Pull!" in rhythm. Both sides of the craft had to be in unison or the ferry would turn and the current would overturn the boat, dunking the entire crew and passenger load right into Snake River. His crew was completely in tune with his rhythm, which made things even better. They knew what he would do, when he would do it, so he never varied from his path. The shouting part was more for show than anything.

They were half way across the Snake River, in the area where the current was the strongest. It would be dangerous to the craft to stop there, as the current might have just tipped it sideways anyway. The King and the members were scattered about the ferry, some of them talking, some of them not.

Now that they were even closer up, Meia could see defining details about the new members of the Council. The half-breed dog demon Prince had short hair, cropped to where the earlobe was normally on a human. His hair seemed rather hesitant to stay perfect and the extremely light breeze messed it slightly. He appeared to be talking with himself and stood alone at the back of the ship, in the most out of the way place possible. The scowl on his face made it apparent that he didn't want to be talked to.

The human demon slayer woman was standing and talking quietly with the male human monk about something quite serious. Hanging from both of their left eyes was a blue crescent moon marking, obviously from the oath they had given. From the lack of many markings on their bodies, he guessed their oaths were just small ones. The demon slayer's twin tails cat friend had flown off with the young fox cub when he proved not to be able to handle boats of any kind and couldn't even transform to fly away himself.

Kaoi, the Regent, was still talking to the unresponsive King. The three wolf-demons were hunched down, seemingly deep in conversation at the front of the boat, also in an out of the way place.

Meia could hear the cries for joy as they neared their destination: the other side of the river. But something caught Meia's eye out in the water. At first, he thought it was a bobbing log, floating down the river. Then, he saw differently. It was a person. No, it was two people, he realized as he looked harder and his voice died out. His team continued to pull to the rhythm etched in their minds, but Meia's silence brought the attention of most of the passengers.

They watched him walk towards the side of the ferry and look out at the river. "The hell..?" Meia muttered, wondering what could have survived the current. He sighed. They probably hadn't survived. Their bodies just were caught in the upper current and held up more. Still, the ferry master figured the bodies needed to be retrieved and had trained all ferries to do so.

"Incoming!" He yelled, startling those who weren't paying attention to him. The routine was quite normal for him lately, since bodies were often thrown off the Cliffside upstream and left to a watery grave. His ropes-men continued pulling for the most part, constantly keeping even with the other. " Po! Warric! Yanabe! Seromu! Get the net!"

Despite the fact that the nobles were eyeing him funny, Meia raced towards the front of the ferry and grabbed the rope as the four men who he'd called went for the net and began hastily undoing it. The weights on the net dragged the end towards the bottom so to catch the bodies. Meia tied the rope around his waist tightly; making sure the knot was snug. He was the guide for the bodies. He had to make sure the bodies headed towards the net and didn't slip right around it, as was possible.

Sesshoumaru watched Meia secure the rope to the deck. He might have done something, but it would not be a good first impression on the kingdom if he didn't show he trusted the commoners to do their job. Meia seemed sure of himself and his men, the least Sesshoumaru could do was give his support. When Meia looked towards him, Sesshoumaru nodded his acceptance gravely, ignoring Kaoi as the previous Regent continued to talk on matters of the state.

Sesshoumaru looked, trying to see what was incoming, but saw nothing at first. Then, he saw the two bobbing heads. One had black hair, the other had bright pink. He could see nothing else. Everything else was below the water. He trusted Meia to do his job.

Sango came up to his side. "You made the right choice in standing back." She said simply, her mouth in a grim line. Sesshoumaru had asked her to be honest, and she had. If she was going to give him advice like he asked, she was going to give him advice that mattered. From her father, she knew at least something of what it was like to run a clan.

He wasn't just running a clan like her father though; he was running the entire Western Lands. He had to be careful how he acted and reacted to situations. One wrong move could completely deplete the kingdom's moral support.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Hehe.**


	26. Save Yourself

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Free your soul. Drink bitter lemon water. But that still doesn't make you own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. __

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_

Chapter twentysix: Save Yourself, Idiot

Meia dove off the edge of the ferry into the cold waters of the river, breaking the smooth glassy surface with a splash. The current underneath was dangerously quick though, and he almost found himself overwhelmed, but he controlled his muscles and began to swim. At first he almost felt faint at the dangerous temperature change, but his body adjusted quickly and his muscles itched and burned with the exercise. He moved quickly, keeping his eyes narrowed but enough open that he could see underwater as he moved towards the bobbing bodies.

Meia did wish that there had been no bodies that day. It was like a bad omen on the new King's coronation day. If he could have had it any other way, he would have. However, it was very much no mark of good to just let the bodies stay in the water. Snake River was not called that for any reason, it was called that because of the poison in the water that if swallowed, caused the body bloated to unrecognizable proportions.

Hand over hand, foot over foot; he burst through the water towards the bodies, careful to swim at the surface so that he could breath. Many of the passengers were surprised that any human could swim in the rivers current. It was something that demons had difficult with, so a human being able to swim in it, especially against it, was very rare. Those on either side of the river were more intent on the approaching ferry and did not pay attention to the fact that there were bodies floating down the river.

Sesshoumaru watched the bobbing bodies. At times, they would come up enough to see dangerously wounded facial skin. They were unrecognizable and Sesshoumaru could only wonder who they were, or had been. He spoke then, for the first time since his true coronation earlier that morning when he had given his oath to the kingdom. "Who is this human?" He questioned.

Miroku had come over, standing on the other side of Sango. Sango glanced at him, her eyes silently warning him not to try anything perverted. He knew she was still upset over the news the previous day that Kagome had assumedly killed herself. She was in no mood at all to deal with his lecherous ways. "Ferryman Meia. At least, that's what the crew is saying." He answered Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru's eyes roamed the commoners around them. Their movements were rhythmic. Clearly the event wasn't any special case. The ferry did not stop moving. The remaining Ropes-men pulled harder to make up for the loss of the four men, their muscles bunching and straining against their skin.

Once the man known as Meia had a hold of the two bodies, one of the four men by the net began to pull the rope connected to Meia's waist and help guide him towards the net that the other three held the base ropes to. Kaoi looked at Sesshoumaru. "My Lord, they are mere peasants! Hardly worth your attention!"

"Imbecile." Sesshoumaru said simply, slight scorn in his tone. He was not stupid enough to think that commoners did not deserve respect. He turned his back to Kaoi to favor facing Miroku and Sango. He still had a view of the "body fishing" event.

"Your Majesty, I...I..." Kaoi stammered slightly. "You..."

Sesshoumaru fancied images of sticking Kaoi into the river and letting him drown, but dropped them. Kaoi was an idiot for believing completely that humans and half-breeds were worthless. That attitude had fallen on Sesshoumaru through the years growing up with Kaoi, but the recent few years had changed his mind.

He had come across so many half-breeds and humans, all strong opponents. Naraku was one of them, and Naraku was still out there. Naraku hadn't even absorbed the pieces of the Jewel yet either and he was strong. Neither had Inuyasha and he was a worthy opponent.

However much Sesshoumaru still held a grudge against Kaoi, he could not do anything to the former Regent. Kaoi was a conservative, and probably would remain that way until the end of his days. Still, Kaoi knew the matters of state. Sesshoumaru wished Kagome were there on the boat with them, but apparently she had deliberately broken her promise to him and killed herself. He wondered how that was fair. He placed his trust, his absolute trust, in one person and she had practically betrayed him.

Meia's men, the ones manning the net, began to heave the net up towards the boat with the bodies and Meia inside it. The three were spilled onto the deck. Meia was coughing slightly, gasping in air. His muscles burned. He had never been in the water for nearly five minutes at a time, fighting against the current. At one point he had thought he almost swallowed the water.

**-Realm of Opposites, Ka's Mansion- **

Ka closed her eyes, sighing, rubbing her shoulders. Before her was a large mirror that covered the entire wall and in it, she could see Kagome. She was proud of Kagome. The girl had lived long enough to be noticed and rescued.

Unfortunately, as there always would be an 'unfortunately' in the girl's life, she had fallen unconscious before she could know to purify the poison. Whether or not she had gotten out of the water semi-alive wouldn't matter if the poison killed her.

"I will not allow this." Ka told herself, clenching her shoulders tightly in her hands. "You're such an idiot, Kagome!" She yelled at the large image of Kagome in the mirror. "If you die, you'll kill me! Do you want me to die?"

Ka knew what Kagome needed to hear, and knew that Kagome could hear her. Ka was that tiny voice inside Kagome's head that always disagreed. Ka was Kagome's opposite. Ka was the snide little voice inside Kagome's head that always berated her when she did something wrong. Ka was the one friend and enemy that could not, would not, should not ever betray her. Ka was her, and she was Ka.

"Wake up, you imbecile! It is your duty to protect! It is your duty to steal! It is your duty to collect the Jewel of Four Soul's which you shattered and scattered all over the damn country!" With Ka's anger, the mirror began to vibrate like ripples on water. Ka knew Kagome could hear her. "Stop ignoring me! The man you worked so hard to save is dying while you lie there, useless! Get up!"

Ka watched as Kagome in the mirror's eyes shot open, bloodshot so badly that even the irises multi-color had disappeared. Kagome began to choke again on the water. Ka watched Kagome's thoughts as they wrote themselves on the mirror surface as though being overlain on top of a picture. "Mathematics, you idiot! Use them! Use the power you have! You're strong, I know you are! Do it, save yourself! Save that man! He saved you, you must save him! Quit letting others protect you! They think you're dead! Be the first to survive Snake River!"

_Mathematics? What are those? No, I did this before; I promised myself I would take the world with me before I die. I want to be alive; I am the only one who can keep me that way. Inuyasha isn't here to save me. Sesshoumaru isn't here to protect me. My savior from the Realm of Opposites isn't here to rescue me. I am the only one, the only one who can protect me. Where is that power? Okay, just like last time... _

Ka watched with satisfaction as Kagome responded to her insults and worked to better herself, despite the fact that she had trouble grasping math. She would be even better at being a priestess than Ka, which only made Ka feel even better. Ka continued to lash out with insults, further edging Kagome towards wanting to succeed.

The mirror blazed with light and Ka smiled. Ka was Kagome's opposite. Ka insulted openly rather than smiling and nodding politely. Kagome was friendly to all, Ka disliked all. The two were the same, yet they were different. Ka, in a way, only lived through Kagome. Kagome could live without Ka, but without Ka she would not have sanity. When a man or woman lost their opposite that was when they went insane.

Ka watched with grim satisfaction as Kagome purified herself of the river's poison and turned over to choke up the water. Ka relaxed slightly. Kagome would be alright.

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**Writing tip # 1: Avoid using the word "sweatdropped". 75 percent of your readers will not know what the word means. It is not even a real term. Instead of "She sweatdropped as a fight began between the two men." you could say "A dry and annoyed look crossed her face as she watched the two arrogant and bickering men go head to head in battle over her." If you have potential to improvise, use it intelligently. **


	27. Assumed Dead Bodies

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Free your soul. Drink bitter lemon water. But that still doesn't make you own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. __

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_

Chapter twentyseven: Assumed Dead Bodies

To say that she was disgusted by the image of the two bodies lying on the deck would have been an understatement. Sango, a demon slayer, had grown up seeing things disgusting beyond reason. On her third birthday, she had slain a centipede demon alongside her father and had practically been bathed in its blood, so she should have under normal circumstances been used to disgusting.

However, she was not prepared to see the assumed dead bodies as they were thrown from the net and plopped onto the deck like fish. Their bodies were swollen beyond even recognizing whether they were human or not and it looked like they had fallen straight off of a cliff because their bodies were broken in many places. The skin on both figures oozed a yellow-green puss from the cuts and lacerations everywhere.

Despite her disgust, Sango moved over to the front of the ferry where the bodies had been dumped. Upon closer examination, she saw they looked more like swollen blueberries with hair. She checked for a pulse on the pink haired one and found it to be rather faint but still there. It surprised her that he could be alive still, even though his face and body were bloated.

"Miroku, check the other one, this one's alive!" Sango called, just barely heard over the creaking and groaning of the boat as it continued to move across river. She knew that Miroku would listen, but before he could do anything or even check for a pulse, a bright light burst from them and the person who by all means should have been dead shot up and began heaving up the water from Snake River.

Sesshoumaru couldn't even smell the difference between the obviously living people who had been drug out of the river. They should have been dead. Their faces were so swollen and disfigured from what appeared to be a fall of some sort that he felt repulsed just looking. He couldn't turn away because there was something there that made him look at the black haired one, as though he recognized them.

The scent of the black haired one was only that of the Snake River's water. Its poison covered any chance of a good smell and made all the demons around recoil, disgusted. The black haired person seemed to sit up and crawl towards the pink haired one, despite the fact that as they slid across the deck, their skin ripped from their body much like tissue paper thanks to Snake River poison. They collapsed as soon as they had the other person's hand in their own and a blinding light issued from their conjoined hands.

**-One Week Later- **

Kagome flickered open her eyes to bright light. Her entire body felt strange, as though she was wrapped up in wet papier-mâché, the same papier-mâché that was used in kindergarten by little kids in art class when they made piñatas to use at class parties. Trying to figure out where she was, she let her eyes adjust to the light and then noticed that above her was a small ceiling.

"Ah, my child, you're awake? He he, it must be painful for you." Kagome heard a voice say. She couldn't turn her head to see who had spoke, but she didn't need to once they moved their head in view of her eyes. The face she saw was molten gold, with absolutely no facial features to speak of other than a mouth.

Kagome almost felt like vomiting when she saw their face. It was disgusting seeing the smooth skin where eyes and a nose should be. The mouth was directly in the center of the thing's face, and it was rather small. When they opened their mouth, she saw that there were eyes inside the mouth on the tongue along with the nose. The absent thought, Can you touch your tongue to your nose, came to mind and she almost laughed, but was too polite to do so.

She turned her eyes to the thing's tongue where the eyes were. Again, she had a snide thought come to mind, Don't stick your tongue out, it's impolite. She didn't voice her thoughts, and if she had she knew she probably would be no better than anyone else.

"One of the first people ever to survive the Snake River! Ha ha! I never thought I'd see the day!" The thing continued, staring down at Kagome. She bit back several rude comments that were increasingly difficult to hold back and when she couldn't anymore, she just started biting her lip as hard as she could to avoid saying them.

"That is enough." Another voice said from farther away. Kagome wondered if she was dreaming and would wake soon in her aunt's house, in her supposed new room. Despite the weird feeling of whatever was all over her body, she wasn't in pain. She felt like she was floating, actually. Her body, for the first of all her waking moments in what felt like years, was free from torture, and her mind wouldn't focus on anything long enough to allow her soul to be tortured.

A second face entered her vision, this one less creepy looking. It was a pink haired male. He had the strangest pink eyes as well, as though he were made of bubble gum or cotton candy. He was very handsome, though looked a little exhausted. "Hello." He said his voice deep throated, but not guttural as she would have thought. She found him to be rather handsome, indeed, and she knew it was the man she had tried to save. He was alive.

Words failed her at the moment. Her lips were moving, she could feel them doing so, but her voice would not work. He rested his hand on her shoulder and she was glad to know she could feel it. "Don't try to speak. I'd like to thank you for purifying the poison, Lady Priestess, and should you ever need my help, I'll be there. My name is Ryuichi." Kagome felt soothed by his voice. He continued to speak and she fell asleep to it, not taking in anything after his name.

Ryuichi looked at the strange demon with its eyes inside its mouth. "I thank you for taking us both in." Ryuichi watched the lip-face demon begin to peel at the wet wrappings on the human.

"He he! No problem, cousin! If I were as beautiful as you," he sighed. "Leave now, I shall change her wrappings, you human lover!"

Ryuichi, assured that the lip-face demon would do nothing to Kagome, walked from the small hut beside the river. Lip-face demons were experts in healing, and Kagome and Ryuichi had needed immediate assistance. They had been left with the man with lips for a face, and the Royal caravan had returned to the castle.

Ryuichi had been told that when they had first come to the lip-face demon, they had been so swollen from the poison effects that their skin had started to burst at the very seams. The lip-face demon had healed Ryuichi's broken legs, arms, and cracked ribs within three days, the minor cuts and lacerations within a day, and repaired his skin and the internal bleeding within a few hours.

The swelling in his body had gone down by four days. The burn marks, he had no clue how he got, were on his shoulders still, but they were scars now—the only thing that had scarred. Everything else had healed perfectly.

He couldn't say the same for Kagome. She was a human and a priestess. Her power would reject the lip-face demon's healing, and had been doing so for the past week. The swelling had gone down slightly, but not much. She was still far stockier than she should be, looking like an oversized orange. In her case, it was a question of whether or not she healed, but the lip-face was confident in his skills.

Ryuichi looked out at the seemingly innocent waters of the Snake River. Time had quickly gone back to normal; in fact he wasn't even sure that it had ever not been normal. He could see the extra ferry tracks being removed from the river. It wasn't easy to do, he could tell, so he went to offer his help. He was still slightly worn, but he wouldn't feel right not helping out at least.

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**Writing tip #2: If you portray a king doing everything, taking all the risks, I (your reader) am going to get bored. I want to see the king humble himself and beg help from commoners. It's okay to do things sometimes, but jumping off a boat into a deep river wearing full armor is not smart. Your king will drown, pulled down by the weight and held down by the current. The work load must be split equally among the characters. Don't let the kingdom's moral be destroyed by the king himself!**


	28. Difficult Decisions

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Free your soul. Drink bitter lemon water. But that still doesn't make you own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. __

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_

Chapter twentyeight: Difficult Decisions

**-One Week Later- **

Ryuichi watched Kagome as she fumbled with the tie on her black cloak for a moment before sighing and approaching her. "May I?" He asked, and she nodded. He took the strings and tied it securely for her, looking her over. She was very lovely, he had to admit. Her eyes constantly changed color, making him question if she really was human. Her skin had healed without a single scar thanks to the lip-face demon's healing.

Kagome was still sore, but she wanted to leave the lip-face demon's tiny hut. As soon as the lip-face's healing patches were taken off, she felt the pain again, but her broken bones had mended even if they were a little tender yet. She smiled at the pink haired Ryuichi. "Thank you," she told him in a very raspy voice. After all the screaming her throat had undergone two weeks before, she was surprised she even had a voice left.

Ryuichi couldn't help but get the feeling that she wouldn't be so trusting of him if she knew he had not stopped her from being bitten by a psychopath demon woman. He ran his hands over her shoulders, smoothing the fabric of the cloak. He didn't speak more than necessary, fearing she might recognize his voice from the night she was bitten.

His eyes wandered to the mark on her neck. Demons did not normally bite, especially not to claim as the rumors went, unless they wanted to transfer their venom into the body of their victim. In the case of the blood-crest demon, as was his previous mistress, the venom created the effect of a living vampire. The victim would be able to withstand light, but they often went mad trying to resist the urge to drink the blood of another.

Ryuichi shuddered slightly at the thought of the curse of the blood-crest. Soon, he would tell her about it, but he just didn't want to yet. It would be a while before it fully manifested itself and yet, his guilt grew for not helping her in the first place; for not raising a hand to stop the evil deed of his previous mistress. "Your wish, My Lady?" He asked her with a small smile, one she could tell was forced. He was worried; she could almost sense it in his soul, in her heart. She recalled his promise when she had first woken after a week of sleep as her body healed itself with the help of the lip-face demon's power.

_"Don't try to speak. I'd like to thank you for purifying the poison, Lady Priestess, and should you ever need my help, I'll be there. My name is Ryuichi." _

Doubtless, he would be one of the ones who constantly risked their neck for her. She wondered briefly if the care all those who protected her gave her was purely superficial. Did they pity her, so felt obligated to helping her?

She had tried to tell Ryuichi to call her by her name, Kagome, but he hadn't believed that he could. He seemed to feel that she was some sort of nobility, and when she denied being such, he then asked her why she had the markings of nobility on her face—nobility at being the King of the Western Land's Second Chief Advisor.

She had no answer, because she realized then that anyone who saw her would realize her for her seeming stature to Sesshoumaru, even if she had no idea what a Second Chief Advisor was or did. Even if she didn't even belong in the era to which she was present, if the matter was taken onto another level of debate.

Kagome looked at him with sad eyes. She knew very well she had missed the coronation, but she still wanted to go. She had to apologize for breaking her very first promise. She could never forgive herself if she didn't and she was already mad at herself for breaking the promise in the first place, even if it was rather unintentional. She couldn't help but think that she could have avoided that failure if she just hadn't gone back.

"Do you know the way to the capital city of the Western Lands?" She returned his question with another. He simply nodded and she smiled, clasping her hands before her and bowing graciously to him. "I need to go there. I believe it is the likeliest place I will find my companions."

Underneath her cloak, she wore the tattered remains of the nightshirt yet nothing else. The nightshirt went far down enough on her to be as low as her old school-girl skirt she had worn in the beginning of the quest, so she was slightly comfortable with it. After tying some string around it at her waist, she felt it was more secure and decent even which worked out well.

The cloak also gave her cover and yet, despite all the obvious rough use it had been through the very same day she had gotten it, it was yet to have a single tear in it. She on the other hand, had been torn near to shreds and yet the cloak remained unscathed.

"It is across the river, My Lady." Ryuichi told her, pointing to the window of the hut. The shutter was lifted to let in a breeze of air and through the window; Kagome could see a large castle in the slight distance, its appearance awfully mismatched. Kagome almost felt shock at the sight; she had always imaged that Sesshoumaru was that handsome white knight with the dazzling white stallion and the marvelous white castle.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. Unlike the white knight, Sesshoumaru was often crude when he did choose to speak. A nicer way to put it would be that when he spoke, he was very blunt. Crude seemed so rude to think. He wore white clothes that were loose for the most part, flowing, instead of black or brown tights and a grey vest over a green tunic. His hair was long and he wore a decorative pelt on his shoulder.

Unlike the dazzling white stallion for a steed, Sesshoumaru had Ah-Uhn, a grey two headed dragon with a fierce temper when it came to the human child, Rin. Ah-Uhn was not a very beautiful creature, and he certainly wasn't the nicest if gotten mad.

Instead of the marvelous white castle, it appeared Sesshoumaru had a grey one, certainly not built to be an attraction, but built for stability. Even from the distance they were at, it looked huge and she wondered how she could have noticed it.

With all the signs, she wondered why she could have categorized Sesshoumaru as the Fairy Tale Prince. She had known of his ruthlessness since their very first meeting. It was the sake, given to her to ease the pressure in her head after the medicinal herbs, the strange papier-mâché feeling substance, was removed. She was positive that if she hadn't had that tiny glass of alcohol, she wouldn't be thinking such strange things, even if it was just the smallest bit to relieve her of the pressure.

"How did I miss that thing?" She covered her mouth to hide a smile forming at her lips. She had no problem forming a small joke at her own expense.

Ryuichi felt a grin forming at the corners of his mouth. He had no idea how she could have missed it. The past two days, she had been up and walking around even if she did quite literally avoid the River as much as possible. "I don't know, My Lady." Ryuichi admitted solemnly, masking his amusement as much as he could.

She looked at the frightening River that had nearly defeated her and held her head up high. She had been gone from her time for nearly two weeks already and most of the time she had been in the feudal era, she had been asleep. Inuyasha would say she wasn't being productive. She certainly thought that, but she wouldn't say that aloud.

She did wonder what Yusuke thought of her disappearance after two weeks. He had probably torn apart her "room" searching for any clue as to where she could have gone. He wouldn't find it. He would find the drawer full of both poisons and healing solutions and wonder just what type of gang she was in.

He would fume and rant and rave, perhaps tear apart every inch of Atsuko's apartment looking for clues to her, but would find nothing. Finally, when he found no clue, he would probably round up his friends—assuming the violent oaf had any—and take them all to beat up gang after gang until they found a lead on her, of which they would find none no matter how hard they tried.

Ryuichi lead the way to the ferries and Kagome nearly grimaced as person after person began to bow to her, realizing her stature by the markings on her face. They could not see the ones on her wrists or stomach since they were hidden by what she wore, but they assumed they were there anyway. No child seemed to grow up unaware of what proved nobility in the Western Lands. It made her rather squeamish just thinking about it.

Why had Sesshoumaru granted her so much? Why had he given her such a high position in power? That was all the markings meant, after all. Bound by magic to the throne, betrayal was death. He couldn't respect her, a human, so much that he would allow her nearly absolute reign beside him, could he?

After all, it was rare for a woman to be in power in the first place. The Queen herself would not have as much power as Kagome would, and this much was apparent to Kagome as she walked through the small village by the ferryman's docks, making her way with Ryuichi towards the port.

It was also assuming that Sesshoumaru might settle down enough to take a form of a wife. He certainly was the last of her friends who she assumed would marry—and have children, of course—despite his need of an heir before any of them. He just wasn't forward enough of a guy, so someone would have to arrange a marriage for him.

The influences for arranged marriages also came in handy in the feudal era, as most of the population wasn't forward enough to choose for themselves and many marriages were used to the advantage of the family rather than through love. Kagome understood this. She might not like it, but she understood the necessity in a time when war was basically anyone could count on remaining if love was involved.

Kagome hesitated at stepping onto the docks that led out to the ferries. It was over the water that had nearly killed her and she had spent two weeks recovering from the wounds inflicted upon her by that water. She wasn't so sure she wanted to risk it. She feared water, feared drowning, since that lovely day two weeks earlier. She had seen her imminent death, had been haunted by visions of her life. She didn't even know how long she had been in the water, but she had been drowning.

Ryuichi grasped her shoulder slightly, gently shaking her out of he nauseous stupor. He was worried, and he realized she feared the water after the event. The quickest way to the castle and Sesshoumaru would be to cross the river. He wanted to help her, but he also didn't want her to be afraid. They could go around, but that would take a great deal of travel and he wasn't sure that in her still weakened state if she could handle it.

"I'm sorry, Ryuichi." She gave him the best smile she could muster. "I must seem silly."

He shook his head. "It is completely understandable." He promised her. "We can go around..." He suggested.

Kagome looked up at the clear blue sky. Did it ever rain when she wanted to cry? She felt so weak, being afraid of something as simple as water. Was it really water? It had caused so much pain, killed so many people. But then again, so had she. Her father had died to protect her because she couldn't protect herself. People had died because she had shattered the Jewel of Four Souls. In the end, everything led back to being her fault.

Did she want to take up Ryuichi's offer to go around, or did she want to board that infernal, unsteady, possibly hazardous craft supported only by ropes that went across the water towards the other side? Sure it would take more time, but at least she would avoid the river that had nearly killed her. But then again, if she boarded the craft, she would make it to Sesshoumaru's castle that much sooner, if she didn't die of a panic attack before then. She couldn't make up her mind.

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**Writing tip #3: Avoid using "somehow" when writing, unless specifically using it in dialogue. When used in dialogue, "somehow" is interpretted as the character's ignorance. When used in the narrative, "somehow" is interpretted as the writer's incompetence. **

Input: Do _you_ (the reader & reviewer) want Kagome to,

**A) Ride the ferry across the river?  
B) Go around?**

**How I have this worked out on paper is both ways, but I'm not typing up both versions. It would take too much time. Maybe I'll go back and post it the other way later, but you need to vote and decide (by popular demand of course) which one you want to see now. **

**Voting ends in three chapters, so you better hurry... and you can vote again at each chapter!**


	29. Guilty Conscience

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Free your soul. Drink bitter lemon water. But that still doesn't make you own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. __

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_

Chapter twentynine: Guilty Conscience

**-Human World- **

Kurama walked down the street watching car after car as he passed them all. The day threatened rain, heaven's tears. The atmosphere was gloomy and miserable and it wore on him as well. Two weeks had gone by since Kagome had disappeared and she had occupied his every thought since then.

Guilt filled his insides and threatened to make him vomit. Her disappearance had even affected his health, because he was afraid to eat or he really might vomit. The many wounds he'd gotten from the Realm of Opposites had healed unscarred thanks to a salve he had, but nothing could heal his soul. He was worried and it was his fault she was gone. If he had been a little quicker, she wouldn't have escaped, especially wounded as she was.

He felt even guiltier as the thought of Yusuke came to mind. He had to lie to Yusuke and say he'd never met the girl, but Yusuke knew differently. Kurama knew that Yusuke realized it was a lie, and it had caused a rift in the two's friendship. Yusuke had prowled the streets night after night, searching for her endlessly. His fear of her being involved in gang activity had even gotten him to get the police involved.

Everything about her had been researched by the police, but they turned up with nothing. They would have had something more substantial about her if Hiei hadn't told Kurama about what he'd done. When Hiei had heard the police were going to search her room, he had done so first, taking all things condemning out from a jar of Jewel of Four Souls shards to the poisons and antidotes in her dresser drawers and had replaced the empty drawers with clothing. Hiei's excuse was that he owed someone a favor.

Kurama sighed and wondered why she was on his mind so much. It was probably because failure had gone alongside her. His body had frozen back in the Realm of Opposites and he couldn't move as her screams filled the silent air around them. His fear had led to her pain and suffering and he couldn't forgive himself for it. He could still hear the echoing of her scream inside his mind. When he tried to sleep he saw her suffering, lying on the ground in a pool of her blood, begging for his help.

"Hey, Minamino!" Kurama looked around for the speaker of the bubbly voice and found it to be a young girl, one of the ones in his class. He wondered why he put himself through the pain of school in the first place. It was all nonsense anyway; a bunch of giggly girls and rowdy boys trying to get into an important college that doubtless they wouldn't get into anyway no matter how hard they tried.

He watched the young girl blush as she stopped in front of him. "Yes?" He asked her politely, since it really wouldn't do if he weren't polite. No matter how melancholy his day was turning out to be even though it had only just started, he had to play the part of a feckless boy with a plan. His plan had originally been to skip school and search for Kagome, but if it seemed he would end up going to class anyway.

"Well, I was wondering if I could walk with you to school?"

He wasn't surprised at all by the request. Girls swooned over him and guys hated him for the female behavior. It was mostly the reason he did not have any friends until Hiei had come along. A thief never makes friends anyway, he had told himself. Something inside him had felt sore at the prospect of no friends though. It was the boy spirit, Shuichi, who made him feel bad.

Kurama smiled slightly and inclined his head, then turned back around and continued walking this time with his hands in his pockets. The only problem with the image was that he wasn't at all feeling like he should smile. He did not feel happy. He did not want to smile. "Thank you, Minamino..." The girl said graciously. Kurama did not reply. He couldn't trust himself to do so politely. The girl was cute, but she just came at the very wrong time.

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**Input: **Do _you_ (the reader & reviewer) want Kagome to, 

A) Ride the ferry across the river?  
B) Go around?

How I have this worked out on paper is both ways, but I'm not typing up both versions. It would take too much time.

**Uh, voting ends now. Sorry to cut this short and all, but Choice B is not going to win... not after I got thirty two votes alone just through my email reviewers...all asking for Choice A. I haven't gotten a single vote for going around...**


	30. Worst Hit

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Free your soul. Drink bitter lemon water. But that still doesn't make you own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. __

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_

Chapter thirty: The Worst Kind of Hit

**-Elsewhere- **

Yusuke grumpily kicked the can a few feet ahead of him as he walked down the street. His eyes were pasted fast onto the can and two steps later his foot had kicked it again. His mood had taken a plunge when she had disappeared—she being his cousin, Kagome. She had promised that she wouldn't have contact with her gang buddies and then suddenly, she was gone from school. Her things had been left in the classroom, and her two new friends Sheena and Haru had said they didn't know where she had gone.

Yusuke had even talked to her teacher, and it was rare for Yusuke to ever make contact with such authorities. The teacher, Mr. Akira, had said that he didn't know where she had gone. He told Yusuke that she had been coughing pretty badly and had gone into the hallway. Mr. Akira had followed her out to see if she was alright, and then had re-entered the classroom. She hadn't come back after that and Mr. Akira had notified the principle.

So where had she gone? Where could she be? Why would she go? Was this gang that important? Did they have something over her? All the questions made him want to yank out his hair. Anger kept building up inside of him until finally he unleashed his rage on the can, kicking it as hard as he could. It flew up in the air before coming smack into contact with the face of a young man.

Yusuke winced and then ducked into a store to hide from the searching man's eyes. The guy looked like one of those higher-up's that could really ruin a person's life, so no matter how degrading it would be to hide, he did it for his mother and for Keiko. He didn't mean to kick the can into someone's head but he had, and so to avoid his loved ones getting hurt along the way to his destruction, he just hid.

All would have been well, if Keiko had not found him there. When she saw what type of store he was in, she was irate. "Yusuke Urameshi! What are you doing in a lingerie store?" she all but yelled. Heads turned in their direction and Yusuke felt his face turning red.

"Hiding! I swear; I was just hiding!" He stammered, but she slapped him. He was getting rather annoyed at her for her abusive tendencies. All she did was slap him around for anything he did. If he didn't wear the school uniform, she slapped him. If he talked to another girl, she slapped him. If he didn't immediately call her up when he had a mission and tell her about it, she slapped him. If he groped her, she slapped him—which was the only understandable case. If he said something wrong, she slapped him. Now, he couldn't even hide without getting slapped!

His anger, pent up from Kagome going missing, burst. "And what are you doing here?" He snarled, shoving her slightly. He bore down on her, his eyes glaring at her. "Getting something for that punk I saw you with yesterday? Yeah, that's right, don't look so surprised, Keiko! I saw you!"

"I work here, Yusuke!" She yelled back. More people began to look in the direction of the feud. "I seriously doubt you were hiding! You're such a pervert!" Keiko's brown eyes blazed with fury at the implications he was sending at her. "And Kohrue and I weren't doing anything! I was giving him his assigned duties for the week!"

"Great of you to tell me where you work and what you do at work, Keiko!" He sneered. "It's not like I don't have to tell you everything about my job!"

"You're a pervert! You didn't deserve to know!" Keiko screamed at him and went to slap him again. She was confused, angry, hurt. What was he doing in a lingerie shop? She doubted he was telling the truth. What did the fearsome Yusuke Urameshi have to be afraid of? He had fought died, fought demons, saved lives. He expected her to believe that he was hiding?

He caught her wrist, his eyes blazing with rage. He couldn't remember a time when he'd felt so angry at Keiko. His muscles ached to hit something, but he controlled the urge. His grip on her wrist did tighten slightly, pinching her skin and making her wince. "Don't deserve to know?" He snarled. "I don't deserve to know?" His heart broke at those words; was he not good enough for her? He loved her, he was devoted to her, he had done everything he could to protect her, and she betrayed him by not showing trust in him. Perhaps he did enjoy the occasional playboy, and he groped her, but what was she thinking?

Yusuke smacked her hand away. She had made up his mind for him. Obviously if he couldn't have her trust, he couldn't have her period. His eyes blazed. He had trusted her when she was talking with Kohrue—alone—the day before. He had not thought she was doing anything with him and had actually joked with himself that she was scolding him for getting a ninety-nine point nine percentile on his homework instead of a one hundred percentile. Why had he brought it up?

"What I don't deserve is the shit you put me through. I won't even bother to return all the hits, Keiko, because if I did, you'd be dead." He walked away, not staying to watch as the news hit her.

Tears welled in her eyes as reality sunk in. She had driven him away. Why? What had made her do it? She knew she loved him, had even planned her acceptance speech already for when he proposed. She had her wedding dress planned, the wedding mostly planned. She had everything done in advance. Nothing would come upon her unexpected—or at least she had been sure nothing would happen that she hadn't planned for.

But here it was, that unexpected event. Instead of a marriage proposal, he had dumped her. Why? Where had she gone wrong? She loved him so much, so why was life going to hell right before her very eyes?

She raced out of the store, despite the fact that she was on working shift for the first two hours of school instead of study hall. The first disobedient thing she had ever done was skipping school two hours a day so she could get in a six hour shift at the twenty four hour lingerie shop. It was only study hall she was missing. She looked left and right, trying to find any trace of Yusuke. She could not find him anywhere.

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**P1. What is your favorite fruit?  
P2. Bananas.  
P1. That's just crazy.  
P2. But sexy crazy.  
P1 & P2: Ha ha!**


	31. Grown Up

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Free your soul. Drink bitter lemon water. But that still doesn't make you own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. __

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_

Chapter thirtyone: Grown Up

**-Elsewhere- **

No matter how much he tried, he could not use the power of his Jagan, his Evil-Eye, to find her; to find the girl who he found trust in. He stood vigilant atop Yusuke's building and awaited her return by day and by night, but she never came to blow off steam or fail at a back flip or accidentally drop her lunch off the edge of the building. He kept her potentially condemning things from Yusuke's apartment at his own apartment—for it would not do to live in the world without a place to keep his things. He did have more than just one set of clothes.

His eyes flickered over the surrounding building tops, hoping to find her on some other building top, punching the chimneystacks. She wasn't there. He felt a sigh escape his lips. That girl was confusion in itself. She kept a jar of Jewel shards in her desk drawer—those were of course well hidden in his apartment at the moment as he felt it would be unsafe to carry them around. She had loads of poisons the likes of which he was sure even Kurama would have never seen.

It was all so strange. Why did she have these things? What was her secret? Did she even have a secret or was she just some strange sort of collector?

For the past two weeks, while waiting for her at the top of the Elbe housing complex, he had tried a number of things to clear his mind of thought, of Kagome. From swordsmanship to back flips, nothing he could do would take his mind off her, because he really wasn't concentrating on those things anymore. He could do all that without any questions asked. It didn't devote his concentration to do something he already knew how to do.

So, instead, he had taken liberty to 'borrowing' some of Koenma's books, ink pots, and a paintbrush to teach himself to write—something he had never been able to do before because he had always concentrated on fighting. So far, his poor imitations were not going well and he was grateful that no one ever came to the roof to see his sad work. He supposed if he was taught to read and write at a young age like normal people, things wouldn't be so difficult.

The thing that made learning even more difficult was the fact that he couldn't understand any of the words he was trying to write and his pride wouldn't let him ask for help. When he had stolen the information on the Feudal Era from Koenma, he had to have someone read it to him, and then had wiped their memory of the confrontation so they couldn't use it as blackmail against him. He was tired of not being able to read and write for himself.

So now, when he wanted to take his mind off of the trusting woman that he felt a peculiar attraction to, he sat down in an area on the rooftop that was sheltered from most of the wind, and set up his little learning area, trying to imitate the words on the paper. So far, all he was able to do was smudge up the paper and make a mess, and that amounted to much frustration and took so much of his concentration that he barely registered time going by. Still, he continued at it, in hopes that he might magically understand it. He had the peculiar feeling he would not.

**-Spirit World- **

It was a normal morning for Koenma when he woke up and his parents were in the Spirit World. Just like every other evening, he had gone to bed at a regular time and been woken up early to endure breakfast with his mother and father. Then, when he woke up after being tucked back in by Mitsuko, he found her lying on top of the covers sleeping peacefully while he was snug underneath them.

However, unlike a normal morning, Koenma wasn't curled up against Mitsuko as much as he could go and her arms weren't wrapped around him, hugging him like a teddy bear. Instead, it was the other way around. His arm was around her, and she was snug up against him with her nose buried in his neck. He looked at his hand, the long fingers that had replaced short, stubby ones. He wasn't going to panic over his loss of youthful adolescence the night before. His body had finally changed. He was finally an adult.

It wasn't like he had sexual intercourse or anything in order to change into an adult. He had just finally changed. It was a process that took a total of two hours of literally extreme pain for him. Mitsuko had been right there, massaging his body with her long tender fingers as the bones in his body divided and multiplied like a disease, and grew to larger proportions. It was like a strange and sickening rebirth as his skin tore off and then his body grew, and then his skin grew back to fit the new and larger body.

Carefully he pushed Mitsuko away, letting her remain asleep after the long night she devoted to massaging his sore back, legs, and arms. He put the covers around her and changed out of the large, loose robe that Mitsuko had retrieved for him the previous night and into the outfit that would fit his newly grown form. He couldn't tell if he was happy to be grown up or not, now that he finally was. Perhaps in spirit and mind he had been grown up for a long time, but in body, he had not.

Now, he had lunch to endure with his mother and father, despite the fact that it was only ten thirty in the morning. Since they ate breakfast so early, they also ate lunch earlier. As soon as his mother and father saw him as he was his 'nursemaid' Mitsuko would be sacked and a new servant would be assigned him, a much more suitable one—a male one. Perhaps if there were a way to change him back to the child form, he would—if only to stay with Mitsuko for one more day.

However, that was impossible and he knew it, so he smothered those feelings immediately and resigned himself to his mother and father finding out within the next hour. The only thing he could think about was how completely and utterly overjoyed he was that they would also ruin his life in the next hour, sarcastic tones implied immeasurably at the above statement. Not only was he about to lose Mitsuko—and still couldn't figure out why that bothered him, no less!—he was also about to be thrown into the world of bachelordom and preparations for his marriage would begin soon!

**-Somewhere in the Human Realm-**

His warm, tender thumb traced her delicate lower lip and the blood rushed to it, spiked by her arousal at his ministrations, making it swell with glorious natural beauty. He kissed her, not just once, but twice. Once for love, and once in apology before reaching behind him where he had hidded a sharp knife and before she had known what he had done or could realize what he was about to do in order to stop him, he brought that hand up with the knife, sliding it painfully into her gut. He was a killer, and he could not avoid distractions such as her. Soon, the beauty of her soft peach robe that carressed her flawless, golden tanned skin was marred with the bright stain of red.

It was almost a shame, he thought as she took a sharp intake of breath, only to wince as that movement brought her pain. It was almost a shame that he should waste his divine talents at deceitful assassination on a beauteous creature such as her, but in a way he almost preferred it that way. He couldn't bear the thought of her dying at another man's hands.

One step back, and then another, and then another before she finally stumbled over her feet and fell backwards onto the cold and unforgiving floor. She looked up at him for a moment before he bent over her dying body and kissed her with fierce passion--a passion she could not feel anymore, not for the monster she now realized he was.

His hand curled around the blade of the knife and yanked it free. He heard her last breath exhale as he closed his eyes, and then stood to leave. He did not bother to clean up. Perhaps it was in respects to her that he did not. He had been there only a few minutes, and all he left was footprints, and perhaps a tender kiss on her breath-taking soft lips.

A cold look froze her eyes as she realized he was gone and that he had betrayed her, murdered her even. She took a deep shuddering breath, pain in her abdomen. She began crawling towards the phone beside the bed, hoping he hadn't realized her fake last breath and that she could call 911 in time before she bled to death.

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**Hm. Dark. Scary. Crazy. But not sexy crazy.**


	32. Looking Glass

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Free your soul. Drink bitter lemon water. But that still doesn't make you own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. __

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_

Chapter thirtytwo: Looking Glass

**-Realm of Opposites- **

Ka stared at the mirror in front of her with a sigh as she had changed the direction of the mirror's replay flow to show her what was going on elsewhere in Kagome's world. Though Kagome would not know half the things that Ka could learn—nor could she know unless she saw, heard, or lived them herself—Ka still indulged herself more often than not, squandering into the lives of those related to Kagome.

She watched as Yusuke broke up with his girlfriend—the one person in the entire world to immediately gain Kagome's dislike, surprisingly not even Naraku had earned that respect. She watched Hiei struggle with his writing and Kurama struggle with his internal conflict. Waving her hand, the mirror changed tangents once again. This time, it was over the grand and rather ugly castle of the Feudal Era's Western Lands.

This time she would find out what was going on in the castle, with the half-breed dog boy who Kagome was so infatuated with, yet who Ka hated so very much. Ka doubted much would evolve from Kagome's crush, but Kagome was Ka's other half—she was the other piece to her—and Ka wanted to be sure the idiot had survived Kagome's mother's attack on him.

**-Feudal Era- **

Inuyasha growled at the servant, his temper getting the better of him. "My Lord, I must insist that you wear the proper garments to the—" His servant stopped short as Inuyasha smacked his palm to his face. Unfortunately, the prolonged exposure to the phantom demon inside of him gave her control of half of his body.

**"Be polite! Stop growling!" **Seirra had been unable to abandon him after the three days, and it was all entirely the fault of the rosary that she had been unable to leave his body and so he had been stuck with her and felt like he would be stuck with her for an eternity. Unfortunately, the rosary was supposedly bound to Kagome and only she could remove it.

That led into other dangerous thoughts; maybe she's not really dead? What if the rosary was also connected to her life and would be removable as soon as she had died? Immediately he felt miserable for even hoping so. Living with Seirra inside him was worth it, if it proved that Kagome was alive, wasn't it?

**"Quit acting so moody."** Seirra said through Inuyasha, giving way to yet another servant who would soon begin to think he was nuts. Seirra was hell for him to live with—she just always had to have her say! It also didn't help that she always sounded so much more intelligent than he and so everyone could guess when it was her speaking. "Shut up, Sierra, you dumb whore!" Inuyasha snarled at her. **"You're giving yourself a bad impression on the servant, my dear Inuyasha." **Seirra laughed at him.

"M...my lord? Are you feeling alright?" The servant said, holding the white outfit much like Sesshoumaru's, only this one had black cherry blossoms scattered over the collar and hems. Inuyasha hated the idea of wearing something other than his comfortable clothing. Sesshoumaru was, however, holding a funeral ceremony to honor Kagome despite that he was kind of angry that Kagome had killed herself.

"Of course I'm alright!" Inuyasha snapped and took the outfit to put it on. Unfortunately it was a different kind of clothing than his was and had many more ties than his to hold it further in secure position on his body. He didn't know how to dress. He scoffed and tossed the things aside. He wouldn't be seen dead in something if he couldn't dress himself!

The hand that Seirra had control over reached out and took the garments. **"I'll show you, moron."** She snapped at him and then said, **"Get out, you dummy! I think we can dress alone, thank you very much! **Yeah, real smooth, Seirra. You make me look like a fucking genius. _We_ indeed." Inuyasha added on after the servant had rushed out, all but in tears.

**-Realm of Opposites- **

To say Ka was surprised about the funeral ceremony about to be held would have been an understatement. Her surprise went well beyond anything and she found it difficult to keep the image in the mirror clear and concentrate on Inuyasha and his bodies' "guest". She pried into the minds of these two to find out more and across the glassy surface of the mirror, words were seemingly written by an invisible hand.

_The funeral isn't going to be a spectacle at least. Sesshoumaru's really upset over her death. I never thought I'd see the day when my own brother would be so angry over the death of a human and his inability to use the Tenseiga. After all, if she died on the other side of the well and he can't get over there to use the sword, there's no way to revive her—not to mention her mom, who she always spoke highly of, would incinerate me before I got as far as the door to the well house. _

The writing faded from the mirror and then new writing appeared, the invisible hand doing much neater job at it—a much more sophisticated brain being involved.

_I can't believe I failed her! She always seemed so happy, despite all the responsibilities that she had. She seemed so strong! Calm down, I must calm down. I must not let my anger reflect in my soul, or Inuyasha will pick up on it and get angrier than he already is. Must calm, I must calm down. _

Ka frowned. She hoped that Kagome did not go around the river. In fact, it would most likely be beneficial for Kagome to get there as soon as possible. Unfortunately—as life was prone to be filled with words like "unfortunately" that Ka was starting to hate—Ka had no control over Kagome's decision. If her fear blocked her sense and disallowed her from crossing the river on the ferry, then she would end up going on foot and her appearance might be somewhat unwelcome in the court, considering she would supposedly have been dead.

Ka waved her hand and the mirror's image was swept away into another image—that of Kagome and Ryuichi standing just before the docks of the ferries. Kagome was looking nervous.

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**_Please note:_ After this chapter, Kagome's decision takes place, so it is after this chapter that the split decision was made and I branched the story out two ways. **


	33. Riding the Ferry

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Free your soul. Drink bitter lemon water. But that still doesn't make you own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. __

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Chapter thirtythree: Riding the Ferry

**-Feudal Era- **

Ryuichi stared at Kagome. Kagome stared at Ryuichi. This continued for two whole minutes; one hundred twenty seconds of staring and neither blinked or looked away from the other. Kagome felt like she could see into his soul, he felt like his soul was being viewed openly by her. Ryuichi was the first to look away, a blush staining his cheeks. Their was nothing romantic between the two, but he felt like she had seen his every flaw and weakness, just by staring, and her constantly changing eyes were unnerving.

Did she want to go around, or did she want to ride the ferry? The decision, seemingly such an innocent and easy one was not innocent, nor was it at all easy. It was difficult. She searched for the answer in Ryuichi's eyes as they stared at each other. She had decided if she won the staring contest that she had evoked without his knowledge, that she would ride the ferry. It was a simple plan, and a quite easy path, rather than making the decision herself.

Her pride would not let her lose a staring contest with dignity still intact and at that point she guessed that dignity and responsibility was mostly what kept her going lately. Well, okay, so she had rigged the decision since she knew—rather arrogantly—that she would win. She would have to force herself onto the ferry.

Her eyes were unnerving, yet they were soothing. They were beautiful, constantly changing as they did. They were like a spectrum of all the colors imaginable, never remaining on a single color for more than a few seconds at a time. He wondered if she could control their shifting or if they did it of their own will and after that thought came yet another thought, wondering if she really was as human as she seemed.

Would the Western Lord really give a human such power in his lands as the place of Second Chief Advisor? And not just any human, but a female human priestess! It was rather unnerving, but rumor had it that he had also taken two other humans, a female demon slayer and a male monk, and a half-breed male dog demon into his council. Was the world turning upside down?

Kagome bit back what would have been a rude grin. She was far too polite for that. She had always been the champion at staring contests—the only exception was Sesshoumaru who she could never win at. She had to face the truth: he was just so stoic that she couldn't help but bite back a laugh, smile, giggle, and turn away.

Staring was about as rude as Kagome could get in person. Sure, in her head she thought all kinds of rude things, and the truth with Inuyasha was that she could yell and get huffy which was most of the reason she liked him, but if she were honest to herself, she was probably the most polite person above the innocent age of ten. Rin was another exception to the rules of being polite because for a thirteen, almost fourteen, year old Rin was quite polite. Even Shippou had bouts of rudeness.

Kagome smiled and put a hand on her hip then and her cloak opened, showing her torn makeshift kimono. Really, she was pretty much wearing rags, she could have sworn it, but for some reason it just didn't matter as much anymore. She was finally back home where she belonged and she felt glad to be back. "Well, I can't be afraid forever, can I?" She didn't feel the same confidence that she was portraying, but on the road to being polite, she had become quite a great actor.

Inwardly, she really felt extreme fear at the thought of going on that ferry and going over the water that had nearly drown her. She was home, and she wanted to get to Sesshoumaru and all the rest of her friends as fast as she could. They were her true family. She had been gone from their lives for three weeks now, so it was definitely time to go back and start another argument with Inuyasha. He was probably bored without her there to bother him by her presence.

"My Lady shows great strength in the face of her fears." Ryuichi approved with a smile.

Kagome sighed as the strange pink haired demon kept using formalities with her. She almost ran a hand through her hair impatiently but stopped herself short. That would have been rude. She instead smiled at him and turned towards the dock once more. "Alright then, Ryuichi." About to take a step forward, she hesitated for a moment and then pressed on. The dock obviously wouldn't break, at least not if all those ferry workers were walking all over it, carrying supplies from one ferry to the next—things going across the river to make their way to the castle.

The dock was surprisingly solid. Ryuichi was just a step behind her. She walked slowly, one foot after the other. When the pier did not collapse underneath her, she felt her heart start to relax and not beat so rapidly against her chest. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad? A smile lifted her lips even further and she beamed at all the workers who were staring at her, the markings on her face, then at Ryuichi. They seemed to assume he was her body guard, but didn't doubt that she had her own strength despite her small figure.

All was fine until she got onto the boat. No one came up to her all hot and bothered and tried to manhandle her. That, at least, she could have handled. The ferry was fine, until it started moving. She could feel the shuddering as the men pulled it towards the other side. She shrieked and ducked down, lying as prone as she could in an attempt to stay on the boat, clutching the deck like it meant her life, even though it did not. She was quite safe on the ferry, but she was still afraid. She was over the deadly Snake that had tried to suffocate her. She was over the thing that had tried to take away her life.

Ryuichi groaned and placed his head in his hands. Things had been going so well for the ten minutes they waited on the ferry for it to be loaded with the supplies to be taken to the other side of the river. She had stood there almost as though she had commanded her fears. Now, she lay on the deck attracting the attention of some of the merchants riding. It was her stature as one of the King's council that had gotten them free passage, since the markings really couldn't be faked, but still, it was unnerving watching her—someone who should be feared and respected—clutching the deck with everything she had.

Perhaps the fear she had for the Snake River was something greater? He wondered if he ought to have just taken her around rather than letting her take the ferry when he knew she was deadly afraid of it. Thankfully the ride wasn't a long one—only an hour—but for her, it was an eternity.

Everything that was agonizing seemed to last longer and when they arrived on the other side, she quite literally crawled from the ferry to the dock, from the pier to land, despite how degrading such an act would seem to her own pride. She was bowing in the name of fear, not anything else, so none laughed at her.

She was not the first person they had seen crawl off the ferry, and doubtless she would not be the last. In fact, she was not really noticed as she crawled on hand and knee towards the relative safety of the land, and Ryuichi knew better than to try to help her by picking her up. She would only feel that much more insecure if she were carried on his feet.

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**There, she rode the ferry. Absolutely no one wanted her to go around. Oh well... When I wrote this whole thing all that time ago, I did many possibilities so maybe I'll eventually go back and post the other decision...some other time. **


	34. Funeral Service

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You work and you work, but you can't please them all. That's why I don't own them.__

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Chapter thirtyfour: Funeral Service

When Kagome had gotten to the safety of shore, she finally stood on shaking legs. Her bare feet padded the ground lightly for a moment and her stomach was unsettled. She knew she wanted to vomit, but she had become so skinny over the recent two weeks of sleeping and being force fed only a specially created liquid with nutrients required to live that she had very little to vomit and she needed to force herself not to.

Pale faced, she looked at Ryuichi. He did not give her any condemning or disgusted look, and that brought at least a little cheer to her soul at her failure to stay strong in the face of fear. She sniffed slightly, a small tear welling in her eyes. She wished she could have stayed standing, for his sake at least. Or at least walked off of the boat, but she hadn't. She had cowered. She had caved.

She couldn't help but wonder if that was the reason all her friends thought she couldn't protect herself, that she was weak? Honestly, she was weak. She had no weapon to speak of other than a poor grasp on hand-to-hand combat that she couldn't possibly use to defend herself if it meant her life, and priestess abilities that she just couldn't figure out unless she was having a really lucky day.

Obviously, that lucky day was not going to be then. Speaking of weapons, she thought bitterly, cursing her stupidity even more. She had forgotten her weapons and the Jewel of Four Souls shards back in her old time. She had finally made it back home, where she belonged, and now she would have to go back to the place where she was unwanted, sold away.

Instead of crying, she felt angry at herself. She didn't realize that her eyes had become a murderous red, a reflection of what she felt in her soul. She could have cut herself for such stupidity and Inuyasha would, doubtless, curse her out for it. She smiled pleasantly and bowed her head in apology, though Ryuichi could see her eyes were not moving from that ferocious red and he almost wanted to inch away. She was kind of scary.

"My display was ridiculous, and demeaning. I apologize, Ryuichi." She told him honestly, her eyes scanning their surroundings. There was a small village just nearby to the ferry. There usually was, so that people on long journeys could rest before heading to the castle or away from the castle. It was, after all, a long walk. The path to the castle was to the right of the ferry port and the path to the village was to the left.

"Would you like to rest, My Lady? The ferry must have been rather taxing—"

Kagome shook her head slightly, stopping him mid-sentence. "No, Ryuichi. That's not necessary. I do feel a bit weak in the knees, but it would be silly to stop now when the day has hardly begun!" Was she always going to be weak? Was she always going to be the hold-up in her group? What was the point of existing if she couldn't co-exist with herself and her thoughts often turned suicidal when things got too rough, or when she was too alone?

Even fear ruled her body, made her weak. She wanted to be like Sesshoumaru. He was strong, even in weakness. His weakness was his left side—his missing arm, but he had conquered that weakness made it strength, by learning to cope with it. Seirra had a weakness, but she too worked to overcome that, and turned it into one of her greatest strengths. Her fear, her weakness, was her eyes.

She couldn't see—she was blind. However, she used her ears and her nose and the feel of the air movements around her to cover for lost sight. The white-silver eyes, Seirra had said, were whiter than a normal phantom demon's because when Seirra was young she had tried to save the life of someone rather important and had been blinded by the other demon.

Inuyasha had a weakness. His heart, his love for Kikyou, was his weakness. He had conquered it by gaining a possessive strength when something he held dear was threatened. He had beaten down demon after demon that threatened the life of Kagome, who he considered a friend at least. He was strong in the face of fear, stronger when his weakness came into play.

Sango feared for her brother, Kohaku. Sango knew that the young boy would not live. He had gone off with Kikyou and the two were planning something big against Naraku and his incarnation Mouryoumaru. Both knew that they could not stay on the plains of the living because they were but walking corpses, held to the world by the fact that the Jewel remained split and the necessity to destroy or avenge that they so desperately held against themselves. Sango feared Kohaku would die, but she turned it into strength by fighting for him, beside him, even though he was not technically there.

Miroku had a fear for his life from the curse of Naraku. He held himself together and made it strength by using the curse to his advantage against Naraku and the clung to the hope that he would someday be allowed to live a normal life. He didn't allow his spirit to be let down. He smiled in the face of most danger, he groped woman after woman, and he laughed. He lied and he cheated and he stole, but he was over all a good guy.

Kouga had a weakness as well. His tail was his weakness which was why he often kept it wrapped around his waist. He had turned it into strength by allowing people to thing it was a piece to his pelt skirt. Why couldn't Kagome do that? Why couldn't she conquer her fear, her weakness, and make herself strong?

Why couldn't she stop asking "why" questions? They would be the death of her. All the why and what if scenarios were tearing her apart. She was at quite a loss. Finally, she just began walking, Ryuichi right behind her.

Kagome turned inwardly, to the problem with her priestess powers. She knew she had used them to save Ryuichi. How did she use them? She had no clue. That part of the entire event was uncertain to her. After all, how can one be expected to remember everything going on when they're about to die?

"My Lady Priestess?" Ryuichi said suddenly, and Kagome looked up and back at him. He pointed at a group of people slightly at a distance. They were too far away to clearly define, but she saw they were rather elegantly dressed in darker colors—the colors to mourn the dead. "Perhaps a memorial service?"

He did not need to say any more for her to understand what he meant. It was rude to pass by a memorial service without paying comeuppance to the dead, not to mention it was unlucky. She needed to keep all the luck she had. If she lost any more, she would doubtlessly be dead. She veered from the path towards the small crowd. As she got closer, she saw people she didn't recognize and people she did. No one paid attention to her arrival. No one assumed that anything was odd about the appearance of another person.

Her eyes widened at the sight of her companions. Inuyasha's hair was cut clean off, as was the tip of one of his cute puppy ears. Sango looked sad. Miroku looked grievous. Sesshoumaru looked hidden. Kouga looked angry. Hakkaku and Ginta looked miserable. Shippou was crying silently. Rin looked as though reality had finally crashed upon her happy world. Even Jaken was silent. Kagome looked at all the faces, but she saw no Seirra.

Where was Seirra? She moved closer and found many of those surrounding her and Ryuichi were merchants, most likely on their way to the capital when they stopped to pay their respects to the dead at their funeral. Where was Seirra? She was the only one of her friends that she did not see. Was Seirra dead? Did she finally cave to her fear, just as Kagome had earlier? Kagome bowed her head, thinking. Seirra was too fast, to smart, to let fear cave her.

Kagome opened her ears to the prayer that Miroku was saying. She caught pieces like, "always happy" and "brave in the face of danger". Kagome wasn't so sure about the latter, but the former did describe her attitude. She realized then that they were talking not about Seirra. They were talking about her. They thought she was dead. Why? Why would they think that? Why was she asking herself more "why" questions?

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**Thanks for reading. Please review.  
It would be really nice of you...  
Don't be shy, I won't mind.  
Even if you just say a simple "Hi". **


	35. Touch and Die

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You work and you work, but you can't please them all. That's why I don't own them.__

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Chapter thirtyfive: Touch and Die

Pressing herself through the small crowd, Ryuichi following her closely, she frowned. She couldn't let it go on. She couldn't let them continue. They kept their heads bowed, eyes closed, as was custom. She figured Sesshoumaru ought to have at least scented her, but he didn't. It seemed it didn't matter if "nothing escaped his attention" because he was wrong. He was absorbed in his thoughts.

Once she had reached the front of the crowd, she walked out so she would be in view of all of them. Still, Miroku kept talking about her and the past tense was killing her. Did they want to make her keel over? Miroku's voice stopped and eyes began to open. "You're all idiots! I'm not dead!" She said finally, her eyes that same murderous red as from before. Yes, she was being rude. Ryuichi looked at her with slightly wide eyes, preparing himself to defend her to the death for her being so rude, but he hadn't seen her so hurt. She was insulting the King!

That was all that Sango could take. A tear slid down her cheek. She reached to her waist where her katana was strapped. Inuyasha, irrational as ever, did so as well despite Seirra's protestations. "Demon, how dare you try to imitate my best friend?" Sango cried, but her attack, and Inuyasha's, failed.

Ryuichi intercepted. His two swords—though where they had come from, Kagome honestly wasn't sure—held both of their swords at bay, devoting only one arm to maintain the defense rather effortlessly. Kagome hadn't realized how strong he was until then. Inuyasha and Sango were very strong in close combat. Easily, Ryuichi was able to shove them away and in a swift movement he had the point of each of his two swords at the neck of the aggressors.

"You will not lay a hand on My Lady Priestess," Ryuichi stated firmly. "I do not care who you are, or what your stature is. Touch her, and I will kill you." His flat voice surprised Kagome. She had never heard it so devoted—not that she had known him all that long but she had talked with him a few times when she woke up during the previous two weeks and he had never sounded like he did at that moment.

**"Inuyasha, you fool."** Seirra said annoyed. **"Stand down. **Shut up you stupid wench! Don't tell me what to do like I'm a child!" Inuyasha interjected. **"When you act like a child, you deserve to be talked to like one.** I do not! **Do so. **Do not! **Forget this." **Inuyasha's left hand came up to smack his face and he seemed to be fuming. "Stop doing that!" He snapped at her, but to anyone who didn't know of his predicament it seemed he was talking to himself. Ryuichi hid his confusion and amusement.

"Ryuichi, I thank you, but you may sheath your sword." Kagome wanted to smack herself for being so stupid. Why had she gone through the well again? She had only caused trouble by going back. She'd had it made living in the Feudal Era. She'd had a perfect life, albeit a rather sore one. Now, she had a sore neck from being bitten, the bite mark still tingled, and she had a disgusting fear of water. "Er... Swords."

"You look nothing like Kagome!" Kouga said, surprisingly rational as he stood off to the side. If Kagome could have done so nicely, she would have swooped down and picked up a rock, throwing it at Kouga. "You don't even smell like her!"

Kagome was saved from answering when Ryuichi did for her. "This is Lady Priestess Kagome you are talking to, fool. You will address her accordingly." His cold glare was leveled on Kouga for a moment before he sheathed his swords, prepared still and ready for anything.

At first sign of a fight, the merchants had started moving back away, trying not to be noticed in their departure. Merchants were merchants; they delivered things, they didn't fight if it could be avoided. Despite the known presence of the King, they simply escorted themselves away from the battlefield.

Silence filled the air. Sesshoumaru was stunned into silence by the fact that he knew, he just knew, that she was who she said she was. He couldn't move. His body betrayed him for the first time in his life. The air of trust, the air of sadness, around her was there. She smelled minimally like the poison from Snake River. She also smelled of the healing salve of the lip-face demon. He recognized her hair, her person, everything. He had been the only one who had seen her markings before she left.

He recognized the heavy invisible weight of responsibility that she held on her shoulders most of all, and that told her who she was, despite the violent red eyes. It was true that something was different about her, but Sesshoumaru instinctively knew it was her. He recognized the pink hair of Ryuichi as well, from the day two people were pulled out of Snake River.

Rumors had spread widely of two people who survived Snake River. He had been receiving daily reports of the progress of the two, but had never gotten a name of either. The interest in the two was amazing. The entire kingdom wanted to know who they were, what they looked like.

Suddenly, Sesshoumaru felt guilty. He had hardly paid the two a second glance. He had been so disgusted by the sight that he had finally turned away, not wanting to see more flesh ripping off of the swollen woman as she tried to get to the man. It had been Kagome. Her determination had taken her to another level, one that made her forget her own pain in order to help another. She always did that. She had done it for Rin.

And Sesshoumaru had not lifted a hand to help her. He had betrayed her as much as if not more than he had thought she betrayed him. She hadn't betrayed him, obviously. Her mother had lied. But, why would her mother lie? Why would her mother attack Inuyasha? These thoughts raced through his head and served only to make him feel uncertain of everything except one thing: that he was unhappy.

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**Awesome songs make me want to do more, but it's getting late. Or early. Whatever. **


	36. Rosary Removal

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You'll never get your best friend to read your work. That's why you suck at writing and don't own the series. __

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Chapter thirtysix: Rosary Removal

**-Two Days Later- **

Sango sat by the bedside of the unconscious Kagome. Dried tear stains littered her cheeks as remembrance of her unhappiness and her heart had not settled down in two days. It was racing with adrenaline still after two days, and yet she was still unmotivated to moving from the bed. She had not eaten in that long, despite that servants had kept bringing her food. Miroku had checked up on her several times and sat with her for an hour each time, and their other friends had done it as well.

Seirra had come by most often out of all Kagome's friends, but Ryuichi was the only one other than Sango who had not left her side for two days except to use the rest room. He ate the food brought to him, but he stood vigilant beside Kagome's window, watching her prone form silently. She said nothing to him, and he said nothing to her. It was a way that worked for both, because Sango couldn't find it in her to like him even the smallest bit, and Ryuichi couldn't find it in him to trust her, reasonably because of her profession and his species.

**-Flashback- **

_"Prove yourself! If you're really Kagome, you'll be able to do something no one else could do!" Sango had shouted. Her distrust of Kagome had been etched in deep into her skin because how could she believe that she was who she said she was when she had the red eyes of a demon—the red eyes of Naraku? _

_Sango looked at the rest of her companions. Naturally, she could not read the expression on Sesshoumaru's face, but she hadn't really expected to be able to in the first place. Inuyasha's expression was torn between confusion, agony, and anger; he was most likely thinking about her mother and the lie that he had been fed. _

_Kouga had decided that Kagome was who she said she was and had tried to approach her to give her the usual greeting of "my woman" speech, but Ryuichi had intercepted, placing himself between the wolf demon and the red-eyed priestess, not allowing Kouga to get closer. _

_Miroku's expression was carefully guarded the moment he saw Sango looking at him, as though he didn't want to get involved. Shippou had broken into tears and ran back to the castle, not wanting to deal with the issues at hand. Sango couldn't blame him. She hadn't wanted to deal with the issues either, but she also wasn't about to let someone impersonate her best friend. _

_"What is it you want me to do?" Kagome asked instantly. Sango remembered feeling angrier at the sound of her voice because even that sounded like Kagome's had; heavy with emotions, responsibility. She couldn't tell if she was an imposter or the real one, but there was something that Kagome could do and no other would be able to accomplish. _

_Rin, however, was the most perplexing of all those gathered. She stood there, with a look on her face that could easily rival Sesshoumaru's. She stared unblinkingly at the red-eyed woman before them. She moved not an inch. Not a hair on her body moved an inch. She was surreal, as though she was not there at all but then again she was. Her little black kimono blended perfectly with her hair and made her usually cheerful face seem pale and dark. _

_Sango looked at the rosary necklace of Inuyasha's and prepared to mention it, but it seemed Kagome realized where things were going. She walked right around Ryuichi, despite his protests, and walked up to Inuyasha. The soft pap-pap sound of her feet on the ground, the wind in the group's ears, and the sounds of little birds pecking the ground at a distance were among the only things heard. Sango held her breath as tears formed in her eyes yet again. She cursed herself for the weakness she was displaying as her muscles tensed. _

_Kagome's hand wrapped around the necklace... and then, she lifted it effortlessly off of his neck. There was no worry of it getting caught in his hair. It was short, there was nearly no hair to get caught. Kagome took the rosary to Sango and wrapped it in her hand with a small smile. "I promise you, I'm here. I'm right here in front of you. It was very difficult to get here. I have one more trip to my mother's, and then I'll be here indefinitely. I promise you, Sango." _

_After that, her eyes had rolled up in her head inexplicably and she fell into a state of unconsciousness. There was no reason that it should have happened, but it did. Ryuichi was beside her in a second to catch her before anyone else could. He lifted her up in his arms and cradled her in his arms and no one knew what to think of the situation. _

**-End Flashback- **

No one knew who he was or what he wanted, but it was apparent he had devoted himself to Kagome. No one knew why, and in two days he had not said a word. Not even Sesshoumaru got a word from him. He answered to no one, except Kagome.

Sango looked at the rosary in her hand with miserable eyes. How could she have doubted Kagome? Perhaps it was more than the eyes that made her doubt... Kagome was rarely rude unless it was to Inuyasha. She proved to show a certain respect to even enemies, so when Kagome insulted them, calling them idiots, the seed of doubt had grown.

It almost became so painful to think about that Sango wanted to cry. There she was, in the giant castle of Sesshoumaru, a person who she would not have figured to be possibly a friend a year before, and all she could think about was how she wanted to die for betraying Kagome's trust. She had doubted Kagome, and in that doubt she had betrayed her.

Everything had gone askew for Sango. Everything was terribly wrong, and Kagome still never said a word of complaint. In the years that Kagome had been with them, though she argued with Inuyasha, she never spoke aloud one word of complaint. She knew her duties, and she dealt with them alone. Who knew what kind of effect such mistrust would bring to Kagome's already distressed soul.

Ryuichi's eyes flickered to the door as it began to slide open, the person on the other side of the screen stepping into the room rather than kneeling before sliding the door open and then sidling in on their knees. No, this person was bold. They just walked right into the room, but such behavior could be expected of the one who was master to the castle and all the lands surrounding.

Ryuichi did not move. He refused to do so. He did not answer to Sesshoumaru. He took it upon himself to call Kagome his mistress until she either relieved him of his life, or he died defending her. Either way, for the rest of his life, he had decided he would serve her; she of the spectrum eyes.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Hehe.**


	37. Spectrum Eyes

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You'll never get your best friend to read your work. That's why you suck at writing and don't own the series. __

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Chapter thirtyseven: Spectrum Eyes  
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The Oath of the Secret-Keeper _

_/ Source: The Scroll of Tests, written by the First Secret-Keeper, Rinay of the Spectrum Eyes /_

_She who sees, yet acts not upon the indignities, is unworthy of our **Eyes**.  
__She who hears, yet thinks not what is mentioned is worthy, is unworthy of our **Eyes**.  
__She who fights, yet does not for the right, is unworthy of our **Eyes**.  
__She who speaks, yet speaks not the truth, is unworthy of our **Eyes**.  
__She who steals, yet takes not for the greater good, is unworthy of our **Eyes**. _

_Will you see and then act?  
__Correct answer: "..."  
__Will you hear and then find worth?  
__Correct answer: "..."  
__Will you fight for the greater justice?  
__Correct answer: "..."  
__Will you speak only the truth?  
__Correct answer: "..."  
__Will you steal the secrets?  
__Correct answer: "..."  
__Are you willing to accept the **Spectrum Eyes**?  
__Correct answer: "Yes."_

_Rinay of the Spectrum Eyes would like to note the difference between  
the priestess and the Spectrum Eyes: A priestess fights for all; the  
Spectrum Eyes fights for only those who can feel her trust._

**-Two Days Later- **

**-Kagome's Dreamscape- **

Kagome opened her eyes to see Rin standing over her with a small smile on her young face. Her hair was sprawled over her shoulders and her hands clasped behind her. Her brown eyes were serious looking, and as Kagome looked around the room, she saw no one else anywhere and was in a place she could not recognize.

"Welcome, Kagome." Kagome wasn't surprised to find Rin's voice was not the voice of the young teen, but that of a woman. She had been visited by this version of Rin quite often recently, and though she couldn't figure out what exactly Rin wanted, she knew she would find out sooner or later. She did prefer sooner, but would wait if she had to. "Welcome back to my mind."

Kagome smiled and sat up, looking at Rin as she placed her feet over the edge of the bed. "Thank you for inviting me." She was still confused how the young Rin had the power to create a living meditation plane that she could invite other spirits to, but apparently she had. "You'll have to let me wake up sooner or later, you know." Kagome told her, the small smile on her face growing.

"I know." Rin's voice said hollowly. She turned and walked to the door of the strange room. Yet, it was seemingly not a room. Kagome knew that the only thing truly there was Rin. The rest was all something that Rin had created out of her imagination. "Come on, Kagome, big sister." Rin's eyes and tone were not as excited as they had been the last visits. Her movements were more refined, that of a noble lady of a noble house.

Kagome followed Rin to the door and out of it. "Where are we going today, Rin?" Kagome asked the young girl.

"We are going to the source of the truth, Kagome." Rin murmured. Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw Rin's eyes begin to shift colors like a spectrum, never staying long on one color. She stopped at a door. This door seemed somehow more real than the others did. "Do not confront me about this, Kagome. It is... complicated... but when you awaken, search this out. Here, you will find the answers you seek." Rin slid the door open...

**-Sesshoumaru's Castle- **

Kagome shot up in bed and then cursed her luck as her head spun dangerous circles, not used to being upright after two days abed. She was so dizzy that she fell right back down again, only that did nothing to help her. "Kagome!" She heard the distressed call of Sango, but ignored it to favor putting her hands to her spinning head, in hopes that would stop the spinning.

"Hush, you infernal woman." Ryuichi's voice was much softer than Sango's—much less hard on her ears. Kagome almost felt like vomiting, but didn't. She felt strong arms grip her and turn her on her stomach. "She has been weeks without proper food. Now go get something."

Sango didn't even pay attention to the fact that Ryuichi had given her an order. She raced out of the room in search of someone, anyone, who belonged to their group. Her heart pounding her ribcage, she first tried to find Sesshoumaru. The castle servants weren't sure what to do with the strange human woman who was racing through the corridors of the castle.

Ryuichi placed a cool hand on Kagome's forehead, feeling for any sort of fever. There was nothing, so he relaxed slightly. "My Lady, try not to move so quickly." He warned her, backing away from Kagome as the door slid open once more, showing Sesshoumaru in the threshold, a servant just behind him with a plate of food on it. He had sensed the arrival of Sesshoumaru before he had come, and so had stood back to give Sesshoumaru room.

**-Half Hour Later- **

Kagome sat alone in her room with Sesshoumaru. Ryuichi stood outside; making sure no one was allowed inside or near enough that they could eavesdrop. It helped that Kagome and Sesshoumaru talked quietly. Kagome glanced at Sesshoumaru. Her food was eaten, and she had no more reason to stall. He wanted answers, she knew. He wanted to know why she wasn't at his coronation, like she had promised she would be.

Finally, she took a deep breath and looked at Sesshoumaru. She refused to look away from him. The matter was too serious for her, and for him she knew, for her to just look away and try to shirk the reality. He had been let down, yet again. Worse than being let down, he had gotten his hopes up in the first place which was something he did not make a practice of. He had been waiting for her to show, but she had not.

"I left you by the well, with the promise of my return." Kagome started out with the obvious. "I know I let you down, and if I could turn back the time I would never have gone through the well in the first place. My home, I realize now, is not there. My home is here, with you, with Inuyasha, with Sango. When I reached the other side of the well, I went to go inside my mother's home but the key would not work. She had changed the locks on the doors. I had to climb into the house through the second story window and the trip lock I never thought I'd use."

Sesshoumaru stared at her, absorbing her words but somehow at a loss. He wasn't sure whether to believe or not, but he listened anyway. What kind of King would he be if he did not at least listen? He watched her eyes shift colors like a strange spectrum, a beautiful spectrum, and found himself falling into those orbs—those orbs so filled with trust. He felt almost as though he were living the images she was talking about right in his head. He felt like he could feel her pain.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Hehe.**


	38. Let Down

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). _

**Thanks for 200 wonderful reviews!**_

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Chapter thirtyeight: Let Down

Kagome sighed as she closed up her story with a heartfelt apology. She felt so bad for missing his coronation. She had really wanted to be there for him, to smile at him and tell him that he did a good job. In a way, she almost felt like she were big sister to all her friends in the Feudal Era, however impossible that might seem since almost everyone was older than her, in most cases by hundreds of years.

That feeling of sibling relation hadn't been easy to accomplish. It had taken a lot of trust to be called "big sister" by standard. Inuyasha and Kouga flatly refused to believe of her as such, but that, she was sure, was because of Inuyasha's stubbornness and Kouga's infatuation—and possibly also thick-headedness.

But now, Kagome saw the heavy load on his shoulders, a load quite literally dumped there by the previous regent. It was as though Kaoi expected him to know all the things that it took Kaoi decades to figure out. Sesshoumaru was smart, but he wasn't super-child. He didn't know everything on-demand. He couldn't pull the answer to the square root of ninety-nine billion, three hundred forty-six million, seven hundred twenty-three thousand, eight hundred thirty-one point six, five, six out of his rear-end and just say, "Here you go, Master Kaoi. I totally understand." Kaoi was expecting too much of Sesshoumaru, too quickly.

She watched as Sesshoumaru leaned forward, his face in his hands. He rubbed his eyes with his fingertips, massaging them slightly. He looked extremely depressed, despite the fact that no emotion was on his face or in his body language other than slight annoyance. She could feel the depression more than she could see it.

Kagome stood and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulder and kneeling beside him. He, surprisingly, leaned into her embrace resting his head on her shoulder. His body felt relaxed, which showed her just how much he trusted her. A year before if she had tried to do such a gesture, he would doubtless have run her through. Now, he leaned into her embrace and she smiled, running her fingers through his hair gently in a comforting manner.

"Don't do it again." Though he had worded it like an order, she could almost hear the plea in his tone. Kagome had no doubt that she was seeing a side of him, a side of everyone else as well, that people did not want to show. It only strengthened her resolve to be "confidant" to those who needed it—or as Ka had called it, Secret-Keeper.

He really was young just as he had said, she realized. He might be old in human years, but according to demon standards, he really was just barely mature, about her age. Technically, she might even be considered "older" than him, not that she'd brag or anything. She just speculated the facts.

"I've just got a few things to do, and then I intend to stay here. I have to go get my important things from my old home." She was slightly startled when his arm wrapped around her waist. Not only was he seeking comfort from her, but he was returning it. Her startled look thinned out into a warm smile and she continued to finger comb his long silver hair, placing a small kiss on his forehead. "You're learning." She whispered, though she knew he heard her anyway despite his closed eyes and apparent sleeping state.

"Do you..." He started, and then stopped, hesitation settling into his voice. She didn't have to look at his face to feel that his cheeks were burning with embarrassment. She could feel the heat rush to his face on her neck and his muscles were tensing slightly.

"..Yes?" she prodded, hoping he'd continue. She hated it when people never finished what they were going to say. It always made her nervous as to what they were thinking. Did they think her untrustworthy of listening to their secrets? Did they think she wouldn't care? "Isn't it easier to say what you want to?"

"Do you..." As he spoke his request, his voice remained monotone, never wavering. His breath was warm on her neck and her heart beat slightly accelerated with joy when he did say what he wanted to. Still, she could tell he was nervous in asking. She really did feel like she felt his emotions in his soul rather than saw them in his face or heard them in his voice. It was an odd feeling, but still an enjoyable one.

She listened to his request with a smile and then gently made him lift his head so she could look into his beautiful golden orbs. "I would be honored." She told him honestly as he began to relax again. She felt something moist soak the shoulder of the nightgown that she had been changed into, but did not question what it was. She knew; she knew all too well, but she would not mention it to anyone. Tearful happiness wasn't something that came every day.

Ryuichi could smell the scent of salt. He couldn't tell whose tears they were; after all, salt was salt, no matter whose eyes it comes from. Each person did not have a separate scent to go with their tears. He saw Sango coming down the hall with Miroku and Inuyasha and sent them a warning glance.

When they continued towards him, he placed his hands on his hilts, his arms forming an 'x' across his body. "My Lady has ordered me to keep all who would enter her chambers away. Turn and make your way back the way you came from." He called clearly down the hall, his velvety voice cutting the air as though it were butter and his tone the knife.

Sango's brown eyes, still red with two days of tears, pierced Ryuichi's pink ones. For a moment, their eyes were locked in combat, and then she said, "You'll step aside, right now." Her voice was low, dangerous. She would not take no for an answer, but she did wish she had Hiraikotsu, her strongest weapon. The halls were, unfortunately, not large enough to use it, which was why she left it in her room.

"Come now, Lady Sango." Miroku reasoned. "We should not be so aggressive! After all, we're all on the same side!" Miroku was, as usual, the intelligent one. Inuyasha had no qualms with Ryuichi anymore, but he did want to see Kagome. "Perhaps Lady Kagome has a reason for being alone?"

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted. "She's crying. I can smell it."

Ryuichi's muscles bunched as he gripped his swords' hilts a little tighter. "I will only warn you one more time." He felt the hair on the back of his neck raise slightly. The very fact that the demon slayer even stood inside the castle made his blood boil and his mind question the sanity of the present King of the Western Lands.

Sango didn't have her katana on her at the moment, which she cursed herself for, but she grabbed Miroku's staff and charged forward at the pink haired demon. "Hey, my staff!" Miroku shouted, startled. It had happened so fast that he wasn't given any reaction time.

Ryuichi smirked devilishly. "Foolish human." He murmured silkily. He drew his swords and while he used one to knock away the staff, he brought the other towards her stomach. Instead of her jumping away to avoid the potential deathblow, she reversed the staff and smashed the butt of it into his gut, forcing him back instead and proving that she wasn't just another exterminator.

"Sango!" Miroku called down the hall, wanting Sango to stop her advance. His brown eyes were worried for the one who he loved. Sango was behaving strangely irrational, very Inuyasha-like in other words, and not like herself. Reasonably, he would have reason to be worried.

Inuyasha began to get angry at the fact that Ryuichi could have almost killed Sango and most likely wouldn't have stopped. That was when he determined to involve himself, cracking his knuckles. He wouldn't unsheathe the Tetsusaiga, or he knew he might feel inclined to use the Cutting Wind, Reverse Cutting Wind or the Diamond Spear Blast. Those attacks would threaten the structure of the castle and he didn't want to be the cause of his own death or the death of his friends.

Ryuichi hopped back a few feet, feeling his stomach. He wheezed as the wind was knocked out of him, but then immediately jumped into the offensive, jumping sideways so his feet were planted firmly upon the wall and kicking off it towards Sango. He smacked away the staff with his swords and the sound of the two metals contacting each other was a ringing tone that reverberated all down the hall. His shoulder came into contact with her body and he found he had knocked her down.

Smirking down at her, he held her down with his body while his swords threatened to decapitate her. "Do you yield exterminator?" He questioned her, his voice a liquid that dripped down her spine and made her shiver. She refused to give him the satisfaction of fear.

Thankfully, Kagome came out of the room at that moment. She took one look at the scene and gasped with something kin to horror on her face. Ryuichi stood from Sango. "For now, you live." He hissed, so low that only she could hear. Not even Inuyasha's advanced hearing could catch it, which made Sango wonder just what kind of demon Ryuichi was. She had never encountered a pink haired demon before, to her knowledge anyway. Or at least, not a humanoid one.

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**Thank you Ryukotsusei for pointing out the mess that was previously known as this particular chapter. I apologize for that and would like to remind all readers that if that sort of thing happens to tell me _as soon as possible _so that the error can be corrected. I'd hate for you to miss a big chunk of the good stuff! **


	39. The Pink Kimono

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter thirtynine: The Pink Kimono

Kagome looked at Ryuichi with a frown marring her features. "What was this about?" She asked him, shocked that he would do such a thing as attacking her friends. Her spectrum eyes glanced at not only Ryuichi, but Sango and Inuyasha as well, for she could see that they too were part of the problem. Inuyasha looked like a guilty young child who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Sango sent angry glares at Ryuichi, but also looked ashamed.

Ryuichi, on the other hand, looked completely normal, as though he were used to the treatment of being scolded. His face closed off, showing nothing of what he felt, and Kagome couldn't help but want to apologize and let him open back up. He was like a flower, just closing when the sun wouldn't shine. "You said, 'Make sure no one comes in.'" He repeated, directly quoting what she had told him.

Kagome sighed and shook her head slightly. "I didn't mean to use force, Ryuichi." She closed her eyes for a moment, halting the others from seeing the strange color vibrations of her eyes. Changing the subject swiftly in hopes that Ryuichi wouldn't completely close off, she said, "Look at me; I'm standing here in a night gown." She let the blush grace her face as she said that aloud and then headed into her room again to change into something more suitable—if she could find something.

"Hm," Miroku murmured quietly. "She seems to be normal." He then moved to retrieve his staff from the floor and winced as he saw the metal was dented. When he went to look at Ryuichi, or glare would be more accurate, he found that the pink haired demon was not there. Where he had gone, Miroku had no idea.

Kagome looked around her empty room. Sesshoumaru had left through the balcony door, going outside. She assumed that he was headed for a spring of some sort and intended to wash the tears off of his face. She hadn't asked because she had known he wouldn't answer. There was no sense in leaving questions hang in the air to cause a rift in the already sensitive relationship she had with him.

The room was very sturdy. The word sturdy described it more than anything else. It was, like the rest of the castle she assumed would be as well, made for strength not beauty. The items in the room did not match in wood color. There were tapestry wall hangings on the wall and wool rugs on the floor to keep the warmth in as much as possible, but then there was nothing to cover the windows to keep the warmth escaping that was pressed out by the fireplace.

The only things covering them were cloth hangings, as well as the 'door' to the balcony being made of cloth. The cloth hangings didn't do much for the temperature in the room, but at least it was a bright sunny day—again. The wardrobe was filled with sturdy clothes that clearly weren't made to show elegance and were made for a person three times her size. She wondered just who wore them before her.

She dug into the back of the wardrobe, hoping to find something smaller. The nightshirt she had worn into the Feudal Era was gone, probably burned if Sesshoumaru had anything to do with it. She knew he didn't approve of her form of dress—not that she had approved of the nightshirt, but it had suited its purpose at the time and kept her properly clothed to a degree.

"My Lady." She heard Ryuichi's voice behind her and moved to pull herself out of the wardrobe, only to hit her head on the bottom of something hard. She winced and rubbed the bump, trying to find what she had hit her head on.

"Yes, Ryuichi?" She asked, locating the source as being a hard object in a sack that was hanging in the wardrobe. For now, she ignored it, but stashed away in her mind that it was there so next time she wouldn't hit her head on it. She turned a smile upon the man who had taken to being her supposed Retainer. She couldn't fault Ryuichi and Sango for fighting. After all, they both were too different to immediately get along and their first impressions of each other were not the greatest.

Ryuichi was a demon, and Sango was a demon exterminator, or slayer. The two were enemies by default. Sango might get along with Sesshoumaru, Seirra, Kouga and his buddies, Inuyasha, and Shippou, but that didn't at all mean that she had the same relationship with any other demon that came around to be friends with Kagome. "Is this suitable?" He questioned, holding up a kimono that was a soft pink color, nearly the same shade of his hair.

Kagome blinked at the man before her. Where he had gotten such a beautiful outfit, she had no idea, but she didn't question him about it. She knew that eventually she would learn one way or another and she preferred giving him the chance to answer first. She approached him and he handed it to her. She looked at it critically for a moment, checking for bows. She had once worn a European style dress that was all bows and since then had never made the mistake again.

"Thank you, Ryuichi." She smiled and began to piece the kimono apart. She noticed it was magic that kept the two pieces together so she could look at the whole thing. Ryuichi left the room to stand out in the hall again.

She could hardly mind the cloth being all pink. The shade of it was beautiful and it was very durable at the seams. The legs of the kimono were not split, which made her like it even more. She could hardly be asked to do anything stressing such as gymnastics or otherwise training.

She felt guilty for thinking that, but it was the way she felt. The last thing she had to do to dress was to tie on the obi, but the bow went in the back, unlike Sesshoumaru's sash where the bow went in the front. She was having difficulty getting it done but at last she got it tied after many tries.

Miroku had taken Sango to the practice courtyard where the soldiers warmed their skills. The monk had decided she needed to loosen her muscles since she was being irrational and attacking a decidedly decent person—Ryuichi in other words. He hadn't mentioned that he was shaken by the fact that she could have died, but she could tell.

In the practice courtyard, Sango watched as eyes shifted to her. A human monk in the castle was not an uncommon occurrence. A living demon slayer, however, was a very uncommon occurrence to happen in the castle and Sango could tell that her presence, nearly untouchable as she was a part of Sesshoumaru's council, was unsettling to the natives.

She, doubtless, was doing nothing to sway that ill at ease tension by being cooperative with Sesshoumaru and going to see him when he needed her advice since she had given him her oath. She was one of the more prominent figures in the gossip market at the moment and she realized that. She wouldn't stop being who she was, and she was born to her profession so she couldn't help but be what she had grown up to be. She feared that the demons would revolt and attack her and she would die in the castle, before she could unleash her revenge towards Naraku, but she showed nothing of that.

Making her way away from Miroku, Hiraikotsu strung to her back and her katana at her side as well as her arsenal of hidden weapons on her body, she walked straight for the exit to the practice courts, a thin wire gate that led to the main courtyard in the front of the castle. She had an extreme need for open space. She felt claustrophobic in the giant castle, surrounded by mostly the kind of creature that she had hunted her entire life. Somehow, her entire life had been flung upside down and she was having trouble getting off of the ceiling.

"Sango?" Miroku questioned, following the apparently distressed woman as she began to tie on her bone mask. She wasn't wearing her kimono, so he could clearly see her many curves and his hand itched to touch her backside, but for some reason he got the feeling he wouldn't escape with just a slap to the face if he touched her at that moment.

Sango knotted on the bone mask and looked around for Kirara. The young twin tails was just a few steps behind her. When their eyes met, Sango's and the twin tail's, Kirara transformed and Sango hopped onto the demon's back. Kirara flew up and over the castle wall, headed for the forest. Sango had an itch, one she couldn't scratch unless she was allowed free reign. She wouldn't get that free reign in the castle, so she went where she could.

Confused at this behavior, Miroku went to follow her but lost sight of her before too long. Instead, he frowned. His intention had been to have her fight with him in the practice courtyard, but then she flew off with Kirara. Something was strange about Sango lately. She wasn't acting like herself. She was acting irrational, moody. He couldn't fathom what it would feel like to her to be surrounded by those who she was born into enmity of. She probably felt very alone, but what could Miroku do for her? She was closing him out more than ever now, especially when he tried to confront her about why she was especially crude with Ryuichi.

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**It appears to me I have only 3 or 4 readers. If you're here, review and let me know, please. **


	40. The Notebook

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter forty: The Notebook

**-Human World- **

Yusuke sat on his bed, lonely and depressed. He missed Keiko and the thought of her made him think of his missing cousin. He wasn't sure how Keiko brought Kagome to mind but she did and it made him feel as though he should have realized something more. Every day he went into Kagome's room and hoped she would be there, but she wasn't. The police searched every nook and cranny of the apartment building, talked to her old friends and her new ones. No one knew where she might have gone.

Yusuke couldn't help but worry. She had threatened suicide the very day she had gone missing. He hadn't told the police that so they continued looking for her. Yusuke didn't want to give up on her, but he was nervous. She wasn't coming back, was she? She killed herself; there was nothing he could do for her. She had escaped at the one moment that he wasn't by her. He should have been more adamant about staying with her. He should have been more persistent.

Finally, irritated beyond reason, he stood and went into her room again. He looked around at the perfectly made bed first and then at her broken backpack with all her school things placed in the messy corner. He had brought it back, thinking she had just raced home before him again. She hadn't, though, and he had been unable to find her. Once more, he went over every inch of the room, shaking books incase there was loose paper inside it, looking for clues. Once more, he ended up at the mess of school things in the corner last.

Kneeling beside the trouble spot, he sifted through the books, checking for any loose paper. There was nothing. The notebooks were strong, the books were stronger. Finally, he reached the last book entitled "The Physical Incarnation or Embodiment of the Spirit". It was a very large, thick book. He shook it, just as he had done so many other times, and expected nothing to fall out yet hoped something would. His expectation was thrown out the window when a small thin notebook fell out of the book.

Yusuke looked left and right, as though he were about to be caught doing something he shouldn't be, and picked up the notebook, opening it to the first page. It was anything but ordinary, he was sure. Who would hide a notebook so well that after eight shakes of a book, it still didn't come out? Much of the notebook was ripped out, he realized, as though it were offensive material that had to be hidden more securely.

He began to read the first page, wondering what it was all about. There were little sketches all over the paper of spheres with dark shadows, but he could still make out the print.

_(scary, frightening even. Her blood splattered and bathed my feet in its sticky, wetness and I couldn't help but feel the urge to vomit. Her dead, unseeing eyes were staring into space. I didn't need to see her to know that. I knew there would never be another life for her as I stared at the torn apart body. Nothing would bring her back to life. _

_I could feel as Sesshoumaru stared down upon my face as though he had done me a favor in killing her and I should be grateful for him doing such. His hand dripped with her blood, I could hear the dripping as it plashed the ground, and her blood had spattered even his beautiful person. I could smell his body marred with the sickening blood. . _

_He walked past the dead body that oozed lifeless blood and his feet quickly became soaked with the blood. I couldn't help but wonder where everyone was. None of them had come; it was just him and me standing there. Could they not smell the blood, or hear the woman's screams as she was killed? I could smell the blood for sure and it burned my nostrils and made my stomach churn. His hand, the blood dripping hand, came up and he touched my face. The blood, I could feel it as it smeared on my skin. _

_And then he kissed me. His lips were tender against mine and) _

Yusuke's eyes widened as he found what appeared to be a journal. His thoughts screamed. She had seen murder? Had he just found condemning evidence to prove she was in a gang? Quickly he turned the page, both wanting and not wanting to do so. He started reading the next page and the muscles in his shoulders were tense.

_(my body was frozen in place. I couldn't help but wonder if this was another lesson—or was it a test? The woman had attacked me while I was bathing, of all places, and now Sesshoumaru was standing in front of my bare body, kissing my lips. _

_I still have no clue what to think of the entire situation. The woman was hardly a challenge for Sesshoumaru. His hand moved from my face to the small of my back, pulling me closer to him and forced me to realize he wasn't wearing the bone armor or the pelt that always was a part of his outfit. I could feel his upper body muscles as my bare chest was pulled closer to his. _

_Finally, I found the ability to move when I felt his left arm touching my body. It made me realize that I was involved in something ultimately deeper, because Sesshoumaru only had one arm—his right arm. Was I being pulled into a scheme of) _

Yusuke flipped the page, almost wanting to rip the page right out of the notebook with his need to know what was to be written next. The pages were a hindrance to his progress in reading, and yet, he almost wished he never found the horrific contents of the notebook. As he read further, things only got worse for the narrator, who he assumed was Kagome, and he couldn't help but wonder who Sesshoumaru was.

Was this some strange stalker of Kagome? Maybe Kagome hadn't run off? Perhaps this person kidnapped her? His nerves were on edge. Who was this Sesshoumaru? Who was he?

As he read further, he began to doubt that Kagome was the writer of the notebook. But why would she be holding something that wasn't hers? Otherwise, perhaps if she had written it, it was some sort of fantasy story that she had just thought up. He hoped it was that, but the details were gruesome and vivid, so he was torn between two thoughts.

**-Spirit World- **

Koenma stared at his bickering mother and father. He had thought right when he assumed they would get into a row over who he should marry. The girls were lining up for him but Mitsuko had been sacked. She wouldn't bring any sort of alliance, small or large, to Koenma's father.

Surprisingly, Koenma watched as his father worked hard to get his mother to agree to letting Koenma chose his own wife out of the ones they picked out. His mother disagreed with that. She believed that there was a severe need for the best possible alliance, whether or not Koenma was happy with the woman chosen for him.

Koenma went to his room and lay on his bed, wishing Mitsuko was there. What did she mean to him? Where was she now? Was she happy? Did Mitsuko get to chose who she married or were her parents like his? Did she have a gold digger for a mother?

He was alone, and he didn't want to be a part of the family he was so cruelly chosen to be born into. He wanted Mitsuko's company. He wanted to hold his arms around her and have her arms around him. He wanted to seek comfort from her, and he wanted her to seek comfort from him.

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**I did the math. 210 divided by 39 equals 5.3846153846153...etc... So about 5 readers per chapter? Hmm... Thanks for all the reviews those of you who do!**


	41. Secluded Romance

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter fortyone: A Little Secluded Romance?

**-Human World- **

Hiei sat upon his bed in his apartment, staring at his hand that was blackened with inkblots. He had yet to successfully copy a single word. How did people learn this stuff? Hiei was smart, so this should have come easily to him. Unfortunately, he never did learn the things simple such as letters and words when he was young. It had always been swords for him.

Now, he was frustrated. Was there no one he could talk to? Was there no one who would be there for him like the woman he had found trust in? Where was that woman, and why and how was she hiding from his Jagan eye?

Hiei again looked at the Jewel of Four Souls shards that stood on the desk beside him. He felt no inclination to take them and absorb them because they wouldn't do anything for him except give him a false sense of an enlarged ego bubble that would pop if they were removed. He preferred to rely on his own strength. The Jagan eye spoke differently, contradicted his reliance of his own power, but even that he rarely called upon. Its mere presence did not raise his power; it retracted it and forced him to work harder at being strong.

He sat up and headed towards his shower, thinking about the woman again. As his hair was soaked and fell like an upside down mop, he turned his face up towards the showerhead, all three of his eyes closed, being bombarded with the wet substance. Kurama had seen her. Kurama had admitted to losing track of her, while she was wounded.

Kurama searched the shrine during the day and found blood tracks leading into the well house but none leading out. After extensive searching, she still was not found and it had nearly been three weeks since she had disappeared. Where was she?

Hiei winced as the soap got in his Jagan eye. It was extremely painful and immediately he opened the eye and flushed it with the pelting water. He knew that Kurama and he would have to come forward sooner or later and tell Yusuke what had happened in the Realm of Opposites.

Yusuke was so worried for his cousin, and not only that but he had apparently broken up with Keiko which was not a good sign. It just proved that the human was very temperamental lately, but Hiei probably would have chucked her far sooner than Yusuke did. Hiei wouldn't have put up with a woman who thought she could just slap him around and get away with it. Keiko did that to Yusuke. If something went wrong, she seemed to make it all better by slapping Yusuke.

**-Feudal Era- **

Sango slung Hiraikotsu with all she had and it moved with dangerous speed through the trees, chopping off the limbs of the trees that got in its way to impede its progress. When she caught it, she paused, taking a deep breath in and out. She felt better after three hours of abusing the trees in the dangerous forest and at one point had lost track of Kirara.

Now, tying the heavy boomerang to her back, she began walking, keeping a sharp eye out for predators that might prove a little more resistant than the trees. As she was walking, she noticed the unnatural calm of the forest once more. Her search for Kirara was halted when she heard voices and so she began to more quietly make her way towards them, curious by nature.

What she saw, she was very startled to find. Sesshoumaru was leaning rather carelessly against a tree, grinning as though his face never knew anything except the smile, and Seirra was ranting about something, pacing back and forth. Sango knew it probably wasn't any of her business, but the two seemed so absorbed in each other's presence that they hadn't noticed Sango, so she stayed there and watched as the scene unfolded before her.

"The idiot just wouldn't shut up, I tell you!" Seirra complained. "I thought I was going to be stuck with him for the rest of my life!" Seirra pulled at her strange blue hair as though it were offending her and she had to be rid of it. The phantom turned to face Sesshoumaru and scowled at him when he laughed at her. "And you! You did nothing!"

"Correct." He laughed again and his eyes sparkled with amusement that he clearly felt. She resumed her pacing and his eyes followed her body as she moved. Sango watched as Sesshoumaru walked up behind Seirra and wrapped his right arm around her, pulling her close with her back to the chest of his armor, careful so the spikes on the shoulder didn't poke her.

"Hey!" Seirra yelped as though she hadn't seen him walk over. That startled Sango because Seirra had been practically facing him the whole time he was walking so it shouldn't have been so surprising for her. Then again, Sango recalled the shade of Seirra's eyes and wondered if the woman could truly see or not.

Sango watched Sesshoumaru kiss Seirra's neck and when he did, she decided that obviously they needed alone time. She was surprised that they were at all involved with each other. She had never imagined the side of Sesshoumaru that Seirra was bringing out. She skirted around, far around, the clearing the two were in, still slightly in shock.

**-Elsewhere- **

Kagome quickly found the next week to be filled with rigorous training. Sesshoumaru didn't give her a single break, despite the fact of the little "favor" he had asked of her. She hadn't really expected a break but it would have been nice. She'd had a break from training for nearly a month, but not much of it was enjoyed since half the time was spent unconscious.

Instead, she dealt with it and her limbs began to toughen up again, and then get sore immediately with all the new bruises she was acquiring. Seirra taught Kagome more gymnastics, so she found herself bruised on her inner thighs again. She really hadn't missed those bruises.

Soon, before she even realized it, two more weeks went by and she had completely forgotten about the dreams that had Rin in them. She knew that Sesshoumaru was keeping her busy, procrastinating the moment when she had to descend through the well again and visit the other world. He wanted to keep her in the past for as long as possible. Of course, with all the rough training Sesshoumaru was forcing her through, she hardly had time to think about the other side of the well and what her absence might have caused to her cousin.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Hehe. Thanks for reviewing Jesi!..you better again... grr. haha!**


	42. Dance in the Rain

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter fortytwo: Dance in the Rain

Kagome woke up to a rainy day. Despite her aches and bruises all over her body, she felt happy. The weight of her responsibilities didn't seem quite so heavy when she was with people who cared about her. She wondered why she was happy since the day seemed so sad. The rain made the early birds take shelter, and if the balcony had not been at a slight slant downward, the floor of the room would have been soaked completely. The cloth hangings over the balcony door and the one over the window were soaked.

It had been a while but finally she managed to get back into a routine of waking up early—before dawn even. She had quickly learned that Sesshoumaru wasn't going to let her sleep in and if she was still in her room after dawn, he would come with cold water. To avoid that, she generally got up before he could find her and hid from him for an hour.

Ryuichi had set up a small futon in the corner of her room and refused to leave her side except for when she had to use the latrine. Even when she bathed, she had little privacy from him. He went with her and though he never watched—she was sure he didn't anyway, but was always too embarrassed to make sure—he stood guard over her.

Now, turning over on her futon, she saw Ryuichi sleeping lightly in the corner of her room. His eyes opened and for a moment he didn't move. Then, his eyes moved to her, as though checking to be sure she had awakened. She smiled when their eyes met. His pink eyes were filled with mystery and she still had no idea what kind of demon he was. He was a mystery; she had no doubt about that.

Ryuichi kept coming up with clothing for her, the same shade of pink as his hair. She wondered where he got it when not even the nobles wore clothing for elegance, but didn't question him for fear he might be discouraged. The clothing was very comfortable and despite its being pink—a color she really hadn't cared for since the death of her father—she enjoyed the feeling of beauty it gave her and could see that many of those surrounding her enjoyed it as much as she did.

Kagome sat up in her bed and stretched her sore muscles, yawning. The pleasantly wet morning brought about the hope of no training, since doubtless the courtyard would be flooded. Maybe she might even be able to walk back to the Snake River and meet her and Ryuichi's savior, the ferryman who Sesshoumaru and the others had talked about who rescued the two of them from the river.

Ryuichi stood from his futon, quickly folding it up in the corner of the room. She watched him move so quickly and efficiently every morning and couldn't help but be amazed. His long slender fingers were topped with sharp nails that put the sharpest Forever Sharp Stainless Steel blade to shame and he really wasn't as thin as he had first seemed in the water. He was well muscled.

She saw he didn't sleep with his swords on his body, but kept them close at hand so he could be ready. If he kept them on his body, they might have gotten tangled in the blankets or hindered his getting up and being prepared to fight at need. She noticed he hadn't talked unless it was absolutely necessary; clearly he wasn't one for frivolous conversation.

Kagome crawled out of her bed and began to make it so it looked half decent. She knew that the servants would come to do it for her, but she—as usual—liked making everyone else's life easier and her own more difficult. Her bed was too large to just fold up. Once she had it half made, she giggled at the random thought of asking Ryuichi to keep Sesshoumaru away with the cold water. Ryuichi had already made it known that he wouldn't stand up against Sesshoumaru any more than necessary, just like he wouldn't talk any more than necessary.

Ryuichi glanced at Kagome with his eyebrow quirked as he belted on his swords but didn't ask what humored her and she gave forth no answer to the unasked question. She instead stood up and went out onto the balcony, turning her face up to the cool rainwater and allowing herself to be drenched with the quickly falling liquid. She gave no explanation for her actions but opened her palms and spread her arms wide, closing her eyes to the gray sky.

Ryuichi did not move out onto the balcony with her. She quite clearly was enjoying herself. He hadn't seen her so truly happy in the short while that he had known her. He watched her from the shelter of the room, amazed by her still. The curse inflicted upon her had yet to manifest itself and he knew the beginning symptoms would start to show soon. He wondered what her reaction would be when she found out he stood aside and allowed her to come to harm.

He hoped her to be forgiving, he realized. Still, he would protect her with his life, even if that meant that he had to sacrifice it in order to allow her to live through the curse. His right hand gripped the hilt of the sword on his right side as he came to that decision. It was his decision to make, and he knew with a single clarity that it was the right one.

Having made that decision, he moved to her wardrobe and pulled out an outfit for her to wear. The morning thundered with the storm and yet, through it all, he could hear her laughter outside on the balcony. He could hear her feet shuffling against the stone terrace as she danced in circles, enjoying the rain as though she were a child first experiencing the rain by herself.

There was a small knock at the door and it slid open. A servant shuffled in on her knees with her head bowed low. "My Lady?" the servant inquired, yet having to look up.

Ryuichi glanced at the balcony, guessing that Kagome had not heard the servant. Instead, he decided it to be best to let the laughing woman enjoy her time in the early morning alone if possible. He turned to the servant, one of the more plain outfits in his hands to prepare for his mistress. "She is unavailable," he told the servant, who then looked up at him. "What do you need?"

"His Majesty requests that I bring her immediately to the council room."

"I will see to it she is there." Ryuichi told the servant briskly. He turned away from the servant and back to the wardrobe, replacing the plain pink kimono. Doubtless the matter was important which meant that just anything ordinary would not give those gathered to prove her superiority. He honestly doubted Kagome thought the way he did, but that was why he was there—or at least it was one of the reasons. He could make the objective decisions and help her dress so that she commanded respect with her very presence.

"But His Majesty's orders were to—"

Ryuichi sent a scathing glare at the servant. "Should she come in her nightclothes, then?" He quipped and the servant fled under his tone more than his words. He plucked three hairs from his head and let them fall to the ground. They did not hit the ground as hair. They wound and wrapped themselves around each other, lengthening and thickening until they had created a new outfit.

This one, he smiled, would be perfect. He caught the outfit before it could hit the ground and become dirty. The three layers would keep her warm in the cold council chamber, but it had split legs for free movement and a sash that would bow in the front. The bow was not ridiculously elaborate so would not attract too much attention.

He folded the kimono over his arm and moved to the balcony, looking out at the woman dancing in the rain. She looked so happy, so carefree. He admired her because he knew what she was and the burden she would hold on her shoulders. He didn't know she was the priestess who carried the responsibility of the Jewel of Four Souls, but he knew why her eyes shifted colors like a spectrum and he knew she was a priestess. "My Lady?" He called out to her and she stopped dancing, looking at him with a face flushed with happiness. "Your presence is requested. You must come inside now."

Kagome nodded and walked into the room, her hair matted to her face from the rain. Her clothes stuck to her body so much so that he could see through the white material and the curves of her body were very prominent. "It's a lovely day." Kagome told him and he nodded his agreement.

Ryuichi went into her wardrobe and took out a handful of rags for her to use to dry off on. She let the nightgown drop to the floor, shivering as she dried off on the rags. She was nearly bare completely in front of Ryuichi but after so many days having him standing just a few feet away when she bathed, it made it less of a big deal. She felt so nice having Ryuichi around. He was another part of the reason she felt so much less stressed. He took away some of the burden, even if he didn't realize it.

As he helped her to dress, tying the sash in place, she put her wet hair up in a rather messy bun. Ryuichi pulled her hair out of the bun she had made and smoothed his hand over it. She was shocked as she felt her hair get warm and then, as though an invisible hand had come upon her, her hair was twisted up into a tight bun, held in place by the two chopsticks.

Kagome looked at herself and then with a big smile she gave Ryuichi a big hug. "You made me so pretty!" She laughed and he felt embarrassed slightly, his cheeks becoming just as pink as his hair and eyes.

Ryuichi, in an effort to regain his composure, muttered, "Lord Sesshoumaru wishes to see you…"

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**If you want me to stop updating so quickly... then don't review. If you want me to continue updating as quickly as I do, review! Haha. **


	43. Reconstruction

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter fortythree: Battle Map Reconstruction

Ryuichi led Kagome to the council chamber. He had memorized the entire layout of the castle early in their arrival, finding out what was where. It hadn't been terribly hard to do even if the castle was like a labyrinth for added protection. Those who lived in the castle probably knew more about it than he did from hidden passages to hidden rooms since they lived there, but he had a fair grasp on the place.

Kagome looked around as they walked, trying to stick close to Ryuichi. She really hadn't devoted much time to memorizing the castle and so had gotten lost many times in the previous weeks. Usually she could find a servant who could point her back in the right direction, but that didn't lessen the fact that everyone in the gossip court knew she had a bad memory for things like the castle.

As they got closer to their destination, Kagome noticed some decoration on the walls. Paintings of frightening demons fighting in battle with fearsome looks on their blood splashed faces lined the walls, one after another. Each painting got worse than the previous one and they were so finely detailed that she actually felt like she could see the blood dripping from the intestines that one demon was holding up.

Finally, she turned away. She couldn't handle anymore, so she just stared at Ryuichi's back as he led the way past servants going about their duties. He didn't seem bothered by the fact that the gruesome paintings littered the wall all the way down the hall, but then again she really had yet to see him bothered by much. He was a secluded type of person who spoke only when he thought what he had to say was worth saying.

When he stopped, she stopped. She watched as he knocked on the doorframe of a closed door and it slid open. Jaken, the green toad who was Sesshoumaru's retainer, had opened it. Kagome giggled at Jaken. "Lord Jaken, I believe you have grown, haven't you?" She asked him and he blushed and cursed at her, his face turning a strange purple color. She had added the pleasantry to his name to make her statement less crude and it worked. He took it as a compliment instead, which was how she meant it.

Kagome walked past Jaken, giving him a small smile. Ryuichi followed her into the room before Jaken could close the door on him. All eyes turned to the two newcomers. Kagome saw Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, and Seirra all in the room. Kouga was not there and neither were his buddies. Kaoi, the previous Regent, was there but Kagome only knew him by a brief glance. The rest of the people—all demons, of course—Kagome did not recognize.

Taking a slight nervous breath, she smiled even if she suddenly felt the day had become very bleak and gray. Why were they all staring at her like that? Even Sango and the rest of her friends were looking at her as though they couldn't recognize her. Nervous, she scratched her pink sleeved arm. Sesshoumaru was nowhere in sight. Wasn't he the one who wanted to see her? So why were all these other people, and all her friends, gathered together?

"My Lady," Ryuichi's voice was in her ear. She knew, somehow, that the rest of the people would not hear despite any advanced hearing they might have had. "Your place to stand would be next to Lord Inuyasha."

She felt her muscles relax slightly and walked over to Inuyasha, standing next to him. She saw his ear twitching and her fingers itched to touch them again, but it wasn't at all the time or place to do so. Instead, she controlled the urge and looked at the table they were all surrounding. Ryuichi stood behind her and to the right, glaring at whoever might look at her too curiously but she didn't notice.

She saw the map of Japan as it was in the Feudal Era on the table, pinned down with paper weights to keep it in place on all sides. She saw the three dimensional figures on the paper and wondered what the different shapes meant. She saw a figure of what looked to be a human foot soldier, a figure of a demon foot soldier, figures of humans on horses; figures of demons on demon beasts… the shapes were incredibly defined. She almost forgot they weren't even real.

Slowly, as the others noticed her attention wasn't on them, they began to talk again, quietly at first and then louder as their arguments became heated. She ignored them all after having the briefest thought about why it mattered if she was paying attention to them or not. She guessed that since she was Second Chief Advisor, her opinion mattered just a little more than their own. Didn't she have enough to worry about without having to worry what others thought of her opinion too?

A small sigh escaped her lips as she looked at the old map and thought about all her history lessons with her grandpa. He had used an old map too and three dimensional figures. She tried to recall how her grandfather had placed the pieces on the board when she was young and what he had said the pieces meant. They had looked something like the pieces in front of her, only the map was much smaller and so were the pieces.

She picked up a piece that was of a human foot soldier and a memory flashed in her head.

**-Flashback- **

_'What's this, Grandpa?' she remembered asking her grandfather. Her father laid on the couch in the living room, the young baby Souta sleeping on his stomach. Kagome picked up one of the foot soldiers and tried to eat it. It was made of wood, she recalled, and her tiny teeth had made an impression on the wood. _

_Her grandfather had tears in his eyes as he took the now-damaged figure from her and tried to smooth it over. Kagome looked at her father, hoping she didn't do anything wrong. Her father laughed and said, 'Those aren't food, Kagsy. They're battle figures.' _

_'Oh! What's a battle figure?' She picked up one that looked like a man on a horse and speculated it as though she knew exactly what it was and what it did, even though she really didn't and her question contradicted her actions. _

_'My dear, Kagome,' her grandfather chanted impressively and she sat, prepared for another story of demons and humans warring. Before her father had died, she had loved listening to Grandpa's ranting. Afterwards, even though she half-listened to the stories, she just never felt the excitement of a new tale. 'A battle figure is a symbol that represents a specific amount of soldiers. This human foot soldier model represented the soldiers that went on foot.' _

_He snatched the mounted horseman from her and waved it under her nose. 'This represented the soldiers that went on horseback. Each figure had a specific amount of people to them and this particular figure resembled—' _

_'Grandpa, don't you think she's a little young yet to know all this?' Her father asked cheerfully and Kagome smiled at her grandfather. _

_'Never too young to start!' Her grandfather insisted. He began to say a list of the enemies and allies, placing the pieces on the map as though it were a playing board, showing her the set up for the __Battle__ at Seramu. When he was done, she looked at the map as critically as she could as her grandfather asked her, 'Didja get all that, Kagome?' _

_She beamed at her grandfather and said, 'Nope! I didn't understand a word you said!' _

_Tears filled her grandfather's eyes as her father laughed and sat up carefully so baby Souta wouldn't wake. Kagome hugged her father, giggling as well though she had no idea what was being laughed at. At the time, she was just young and impressionable, but she kept looking at the map, memorizing the places each one was at. One by the river, one by the mountains, one by the castle notation… _

**-End Flashback- **

Kagome looked at the pieces lining the sides of the map and began to place them in the places her grandfather had put them in, trying to reconstruct the Battle at Seramu, just like her grandfather had shown her. Soon, the others began to step away from the table so that she wasn't constantly stepping on their feet and apologizing as she placed the pieces.

The Battle at Seramu wasn't a much known battle. It had taken place many years before even Sesshoumaru was born and when Inutaishou was still just a pup in his cradle, recently born. That could have been the cause of the surprise on some of the older demons who began to slowly recognize the reconstruction of the battle. A few eyes widened marginally, impressed yet suspicious at the same time.

The battle was a hushed one, so the suspicious ones were sure that the human had to be some sort of thief who had stolen important scrolls that were supposedly locked away, hidden. Kagome stared at the map, feeling as though something was missing from the memory. She was sure she had all the pieces in the right place. It was difficult to do the reconstruction from memory, even more difficult when she was working on a larger map.

Kagome didn't realize the animosity beginning to build in a few members of the council towards her. Perhaps she should have kept the memory to herself, but she hadn't. She realized what was missing. She grabbed the tent looking model with the flag sticking out of the top and placed it atop a hilly area of the map.

She stood back to admire her work and felt her body collides with another that she hadn't realized was behind her with all her moving about. She hadn't expected Ryuichi to walk with her, but as her startled spectrum colored eyes scanned the room she saw Ryuichi was where he had been standing the entire time.

Who had she run into? Would she have bad luck and run into everyone for the rest of her life? Why could people not stay out of the way? She kept the frown from marring her face as it wanted to. It was bordering on offending in her mind to frown so much. She felt it gave the impression that she was unhappy with the world and her life, when she really was. She was very happy with her life and especially with being in the past once more.

That brought to mind the Jewel shards she'd left in the modern world. She would have to go back, wouldn't she? She held in the sigh that threatened to escape and turned her head to see who was behind her.

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**Hey, say it with me now. "That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!"**


	44. Battle Discussion

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter fortyfour: Battle Discussion

Kagome turned to face the person and was met with a stomach. She blinked and wondered if she shrunk, but when she looked up into the face of the person, she saw that they were just very tall. She almost heaved a sigh of relief. Living in a magical world such as the feudal era made her wonder if she dared to doubt the chance of shrinking to the size of a gerbil.

"Ah, the Battle of Seramu!" The man chuckled and reached around her with his long arms, switching two pieces around. "The forbidden battle." Kagome moved out of his way and nodded her agreement at his words. She looked at his face and searched it. She saw wisdom and age written all over him from his crooked smile to his nose which appeared to have been broken several times and healed improperly.

He was far taller than anyone she had ever seen, including Sesshoumaru and he wasn't short. His arms were nearly as long as her body was tall, which surprised her, but then she saw his legs were as well. He slouched over as though he had done so all his life and his spine hurt to stay straight. His face had the same markings as hers did, so she guessed he too was some sort of important person who was automatically respected whether or not they thought they deserved it, or did the good deeds to prove they deserved that respect.

"Tell me, girl. How do you know of this battle?" He questioned. Kagome was suddenly aware that all eyes were on her. No one dared to speak, or move for that matter, as though doing so would bring the attention upon them and that was something they wanted to avoid. It appeared this strange elderly demon's presence was more than just anything small.

Kagome was saved from having to make up an answer when Sesshoumaru entered the room, dripping wet from the rain. She watched him run his hand through his wet hair, trying to get it out of his face and her hand itched to help him. She wasn't in love with Sesshoumaru; she just wanted to be the 'big sister' to him. She recalled the request from a few weeks before with a small smile.

_"Do you... Do you mind if I consider you my elder sister? I mean, if not, that is fine... After all, I did try to kill you several times..." _

"Your Majesty, you're soaked—" Kaoi started, but Sesshoumaru glared at him.

"It doesn't matter." Sesshoumaru said and stepped up to the table. "As undoubtedly all of you know, the Eastern Lands have decided to attempt an invasion while I am still new to the throne." His golden eyes were hard and narrowed as he stared at the map. With a flick of his hand, his poison whip knocked the map clear of pieces and then it disappeared before it could hit anyone by the table. "Seirra, where are the troops?"

Seirra stepped up to the table. She felt a piece for a moment and Kagome knew she was making sure it was the right one with her finger tips, and then slowly slid it across the map. She did that several more times with other pieces, placing them all around the notation for Sesshoumaru's castle. Kagome felt on edge with the silence in the room as everyone watched apprehensively.

When Seirra stopped placing figures and stepped back, the man at the end of the table with a rather scraggly beard, large face, and tiny beaded eyes exclaimed, "Impossible! There is no way that so many Eastern soldiers could have crossed the border!"

Just that exclamation was the beginning of a serious argument among the many gathered in the room. A few were serious, and others just wanted to be heard above the others. Sango and Miroku edged closer to Kagome as the hostility in the room became greater. Kagome stared at the map, trying to figure out what Sesshoumaru might have been thinking in sending Seirra, a blind woman, to count the enemies soldiers.

She saw on the map behind the notation of Sesshoumaru's castle a small, rather treacherous looking mountain pass. She saw in the forest the notations of several villages spread out. She saw up on top of the cliff Inuyasha Forest, which she knew must have grown out further towards the cliff edge since the creation of the map. She saw the river, and knew exactly how dangerous that was.

The enemy was on the other side of the river, ready to kill anything that crossed. They were on the other side of the forest, probably about to enter it and begin heading for them. With the cliff and the mountain at their back and side, they were essentially cornered. "This is not a good situation." Miroku said in her ear. She looked at him and nodded gravely. She didn't have to be any sort of tactical planner to realize that.

Sango pointed to a cluster of the enemy. "Those are falcon archers. They kill messenger birds from high in the trees. We'll never be able to get word out to troops for them to come behind them."

"We just need someone really fast then." Inuyasha said, "Someone who can swim the river current and make it here." He pointed to a small area of land between the cliff and the river. It seemed to be far enough out that getting to it would be rather difficult with the current.

"Why do we need someone to get there?" Kagome asked him, looking at the map and trying to see the advantage of getting there. She wondered who could possibly swim the current, especially in that particular place. If the map was any indication, the notations read that the current was at its fastest point in that particular area. "Can't people just walk through this marshy area here at the base of the cliff and climb up into Inuyasha Forest?"

"The cliff faces the enemy. We could do that, but we'd be putting people in danger of being shot down by the falcon archers in this cluster who were doubtless put there to be sure no one could climb and escape." Miroku explained to her as the arguing among the others reached an even greater volume.

The tall demon who was twice the size of Kagome pointed to a narrow strip of the cliff that jutted out. It was near to the area that Inuyasha had spoken of. "Humans cannot scale the cliff without aid more often than not," he added to their conversation. "There are select few who can, but not many and we couldn't leave them to die. T'would be unjust." Kagome found her respect for the demon man before her go up at his words. He obviously didn't think himself better than anyone just because of his supposed superior race. "But here, with the cliff out like this, one or two people could scale the wall."

"So not only would you need someone who could swim the current, but someone who can manage to climb up the cliff." Sango looked thoughtful for a moment. "The ferryman who saved Kagome could swim it, but climbing would be another story entirely."

"Their falcon archers will probably have the ability to sense any use of magical help." The tall man continued, nodding. "And since Sesshoumaru," Kagome noticed he said Sesshoumaru's name without any sort of respecting title added on and wondered just who he was, "cannot use the four towers defense yet, we're basically sunk."

Seirra joined their group. "Any ideas?" She asked them. Kagome was at a loss, staring at the map as though it might open up and give her answers. Ryuichi just stood quietly behind her, giving his input to no one as usual. Kagome wondered how this had all been snuck upon them. It shouldn't have happened so suddenly. Any king had spies, so those spies should have warned Sesshoumaru ahead of time so something could have been planned.

"Why can't Sesshoumaru use the four towers defense yet, and what is that defense?" Kagome inquired of the tall man, who seemed surprised she didn't know of it.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	45. Dangerous Spells

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter fortyfive: Dangerous Spells

Kagome listened to the discussions, trying to hear everyone at once. There were three conversations going on; one between the lesser council members, one between her friends and the tall man, and one between Sesshoumaru, Kaoi, and another demon she did not know the name of. It bothered her that she didn't know the name of a lot of the members present. She liked to put names to faces.

From what Kagome could tell, the three conversations were all the same: what would the best course of action be? So why were they not all discussing it together? What sort of infliction of animosity could have reaped them so far apart that they would be so blind as to not discuss such a situation in unison? Why were they being so stupid?

They were at a race against the clock. Every minute they wasted arguing amongst themselves meant another life on the line, held in the hands of the enemy. It made Kagome's blood boil just knowing about it. It made her heart race and her hands become moist with sweat thinking about those lives that could have been ended so instantly, carelessly over a throne.

Sesshoumaru was making a mistake, and she knew it. He was making the first big mistake in ruling his lands by so clearly not getting along with those members of the council that he didn't know or like. The world was full of people who he wouldn't like! Despite whatever idiocy that had separated them in the first place he would have to get over it. He would have to learn to deal with it.

The tall man had yet to explain what the four towers defense was to her and that too was getting on her nerves. She was beginning to think that she was being ignored because she was thought of as ignorant. So far as far as the conversations were running, the lesser council members—those without markings on their faces—thought that Sesshoumaru should use whatever the four towers defense was despite the fact that it would go against code.

The tall man and Kagome's friends were discussing the possibility to send out a couple messengers over land, ones that could swim the current of Snake River and also climb the cliff to deliver messages to lesser army generals stationed elsewhere. Sesshoumaru and the two demons he was conversing with were arguing over abandoning the castle and those who couldn't follow up the mountain path. Sesshoumaru didn't want to, Kaoi was all for it, the third demon remained opinion free on the subject.

With her head whirling with all the conversations, Kagome stepped back a few steps and bumped into a wall. It wasn't until that moment that she realized she was disgusted, horrified even, that these demons and even her human friends were regardless of life. They didn't care—if they were the enemy, they had to be dealt with swiftly and completely. Did they not realize that these soldiers, regardless of the fact that they were the enemy, had families waiting for them back home? Did they care at all? Or were they just blind to the suffering of another?

Still, the realization of this was nothing to the realization that the enemy would be just the same. They would, regardless of the fact that his victims were women and children, slay anyone who got in their way. Orders were orders; they had to be followed. They had to be followed and they would be.

A tear slipped past the barriers of Kagome's eyelids and she stared at the inky blackness that was the back of her eyes. Why was the world so cruel? Why was it that violence was always asked to be the only way out? Why violence first? Couldn't discussions of peace ever be the answer? It was a childish dream; she knew this in her heart. She didn't want it to be, but it was. There would be nothing—absolutely nothing—that she could do to stop the impending war. It would happen, despite the tears she shed or the lack of tears that her friends let fall.

**-Realm of Opposites- **

"Kagome, get a grip on yourself!" Ka yelled into the mirror as she watched Kagome cry. Kagome was allowing her emotions to take control. She couldn't do that. Kagome had to survive. It was her duty to the world. Not only that, but if she continued on the way she was going she would end up losing the respect of the tall man and Ka had the feeling that would be a mistake. Kagome had to remain strong.

It was, perhaps, one of the most dangerous spells Ka would ever perform but there was a necessity for using it. Ka wanted to make sure she did it right so she went to her study and retrieved the book that the spell was in to make sure she performed it correctly. If she did it wrong, Kagome and she would be bound together in the same body forever, in the same universe, and Kagome would go mad. The spell would kill her within weeks because she had no opposite to keep watch over her.

Ka could see the usefulness of this spell, but she knew the risks she was taking. Her heart pounded as she flipped through the book, looking at the inverted white ink on black paper markings. Was she doing the right thing?

Shaking her unsure thoughts away, she gripped the book and walked back to the mirror room. There was no room for uncertainty in the matter. Either she was going to take the risk, or she was going to let Kagome lose everything she worked so hard to get through kindness. Getting respect from others through kindness was more difficult than many people realized. A kind person rarely was truly that way on the inside—black hearts conquered their soul.

She kept her head clear as she began to chant the incantation clearly into the mirror. Kagome in the mirror began to stand a little straighter, as though trying to hear something that no other could hear. Ka kept her voice clear of emotions so that nothing would affect the words and there would be less of a chance that the spell would go wrong. She hated the idea that she would be the cause of Kagome's destruction, but even more hated the idea that Kagome would be the cause of Kagome's destruction.

"Animus incendia, igneus fervens per affectus, syrma meus animus unda, infusio flamma sententia." She felt like her entire body was on fire, yet felt at the same time that it was being soaked with water as the spell wound its magic around her body.

Through narrowed eyes she could see Kagome staring at her hands, curious as to what the magic was flowing around her. The council members hadn't noticed her, but clearly Ryuichi had. He stood back as the power began to race around her. "Frigus animus per mei, sino meus somes totus imperium, permissum vereor retineo, moeror non, permissum affectus non triumphus."

Ka felt the magic taking hold even more and the world swirled around her. She kept hold of the book—it was her key to getting back out of the spell when she was ready—and fell into the mirror, falling through it like it was just water. Her body felt parted momentarily, but then returned to feeling complete again. She saw Kagome's hands through eyes that were not her own.

**-Feudal Era- **

Ryuichi watched as a secretive little smile crossed Kagome's face. She looked strange, as though she were not herself. She heard her whisper, "I surprise even myself." He wondered what she had surprised herself about and watched her rub tear streaks from her face.

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English Translation: Soul /of/ fire, burning hot with emotion, train my soul /of/ water, douse the flames /of/ sentiment. Cool the soul with mine, allow my body all control, let fear not, let grief not, let emotion not triumph.

Latin Translation: Animus incendia, igneus fervens per affectus, syrma meus animus unda, infusio flamma sententia. Frigus animus per mei, sino meus somes totus imperium, permissum vereor retineo, moeror non, permissum affectus non triumphus.


	46. Silence

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter fortysix: Silence

**-Realm of Opposites- **

Kagome stared at herself in the mirror before her, wondering what just happened and how her mirror image was moving without her doing the same. She was more than just confused, she was horrified, because she knew she was in the Realm of Opposites. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did and it frightened her.

Why was she in the Realm of Opposites? Why was she staring at a mirror where her image moved without permission, or even glancing at her?

Heart pounding in her chest, she looked around. She saw a book dropped on the floor, one of the edges bent slightly from the abuse. Bending down, she was sure her fears were affirmed when she saw the black pages and white ink. People just didn't make books like that in her world. It was distracting to read.

Nervously, she touched her image showing in the mirror. The mirror wasn't solid as she had expected it to be. It was a gooey liquid-like thing that clung to the wall and her hand. She was reminded of the movie "The Matrix" where the broken mirror glass stuck to Neo's fingers only for her it didn't try to absorb her.

Pulling her fingers away, she rubbed the silver goop between her thumb, forefinger, and middle finger. It felt funny. It didn't feel like water, didn't drip away like it either. It almost felt like blood, or thick ink.

She sniffed it and found it smelled like wet metal instead of wet sand. Looking back down to the book, she tried to read it but the entire thing was in another language. She thought it looked like Latin or a language like that, but really didn't speak much other than the different languages of Japan and then also English.

"Ka?" She called, walking to the door to open it. She continued rubbing the substance in her hand because for her, it was a comforting feeling. The liquid seemed to sigh contentedly, she could have sworn, but she didn't dwell to long on that for fear it might unnerve her further. Poking her head out into the hall, she looked both ways in hopes of seeing Ka. "Ka?"

She saw nothing and left the room to search for her opposite. She almost felt like she was having a strangely late reaction. Normally when something out of the ordinary happened to her, she freaked out. "Ka?" she continued to call out every so often, poking her head into room after room of the large mansion. She began to enter rooms she had not seen before in her few day stay.

Kagome shortly found that Ka wasn't in her bedroom, her study, the kitchen, or anywhere. Gingerly she set herself down at the table in the dining hall, making shapes on the table with the silver substance. With all the rubbing and rolling she had done with it, the substance had created a ball shape for the most part. It looked like a metal marble, almost.

She began to pull at the silver substance, shaping the metal into a clawed dragon's hand. She hoped she was dreaming. She didn't want to go out into the streets of the Realm of Opposites again. There were dangerous creatures out there.

The mansion felt cold for Kagome as the time ticked by. Ka wasn't there, was she? Did something happen and make it so that Kagome was the opposite who had to live in a cold mansion alone? Would Kagome become hard and cold like Ka? Would she get a murderous look in her eyes when she used her priestess power?

A tear dripped out of her eye as the silence in the mansion finally got to her more than anything else. She hated the silence in the Realm of Opposites. Were there no birds? Was there no wind to shake the strange trees outside?

The silence had bothered Kagome the first time she had come, just about a month before. The silence brought scary things after her. Leaving the strange silver liquid on the table, she raced off, trying to hold back the tears. It was weakness for her to cry, even if she had told Sesshoumaru it wasn't. It was a weakness for her because she always did it. Was there a time she ever stopped?

Finally, anger began to consume her. She saw a vase in the hallway on a stand and so she picked it up and threw it as hard as she could. The vase shattered against a wall, creating noise as it smashed and the pieces fell to the floor to shatter further. She picked up the small skinny stand and began to pound it against the wall until the wood cracked and broke.

She continued to make noise. Was Ka the real Kagome now? Was Kagome even real? Why was Kagome in the Realm of Silence? How could she call it the Realm of Opposites when there was no noise to oppose the silence?

She continued to break things, anything she could find. She tapped her priestess powers through her anger and wielded the raw energy, throwing her fist from one thing to another. She broke things, and terrorized the furniture. She created noise to oppose the silence but when there was nothing left to break, she fell to her hands and knees in a pile of broken glass shards, feeling the pain biting at her.

How did it happen? How did Ka become Kagome? She had said she couldn't leave the mansion; everything was provided for her magically, so she wouldn't have gone out of it, Kagome was sure. Did that mean that the image that was moving and looking like Kagome was really Ka? They looked so alike that even the similarities of twins would be put to shame.

"Is this... Is this at all real? Am I real?" she questioned the newly silent air around her, noise made only through her. She found she actually enjoyed the pain in her knees and hands because they allowed her to know that she was real.

She curled up on the floor in the middle of the mess she had created. Sharp glass bit into her flesh, creating bleeding cuts but she ignored the fact. Anything to create reality was a good thing, even if she bled to death. The cuts were hardly anything that would kill her, even if there was so many.

Her spectrum colored eyes stared endlessly at the back of her eyelids as she tried to ignore the silence around her, broken only by the sound of a tear plopping against the floor, a surprisingly loud sound in her ear. Did life have to be so difficult? Or was she just a special case? Why did it have to be her? Why was she born with the Jewel of Four Souls responsibility? Why did she have to be the one dragged into the well?

Why couldn't it have been Souta? Why couldn't the little boy be dragged down the well? It was selfish of her to try to pin the responsibility on someone else and she knew it, but her angry mind just wanted to be a normal girl. She just wanted to go home, curl up in her mother's arms, and cry over being dumped by a boy. She didn't want to go home, curl up in her mother's arms, and cry over Inuyasha constantly protecting Kikyou.

She didn't want to be Kikyou's reincarnation. She didn't want to be a priestess. She didn't want to be a Secret-Keeper. What was worse was, she didn't want to be the once in a millennia Secret-Keeper slash Priestess. She held the responsibilities of two separate beings, yet she knew little to nothing about both of them. Why did it have to be like that?

Why couldn't she just get a grip on herself? Why was she crying? Just to fill the void of silence? She didn't know anymore. She wanted to be herself, not Kagome the Time-Traveler, or Kagome the Secret-Keeper, or Kagome the Priestess. She wanted to be Kagome the School-girl, suffering heart ache over a boy who wouldn't pay any attention to her. She wanted to be Kagome the School-girl, being wooed by Hojou, the boy she had befriended at such a young age.

Why couldn't fate leave her alone? She was sure that Lady Misery was laughing it up in the heavens, soaking up her pain. The glass bit into her cheek as she curled further up into a fetal position.

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That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!


	47. Asleep In His Arms

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter fortyseven: Asleep In His Arms

**-Feudal Era- **

Ka chuckled darkly, that single sound managing to catch the attention of all in the room more than anything else. She walked forward confidently, feeling her eyes glitter over the many demons in the room. She could easily kill them, she knew. She wouldn't because the body was Kagome's and so was the reputation.

"My, my..." she muttered, her eyes becoming half-lidded as she rested her eyes on the lesser nobles first, then let her eyes wander from face to face. She rested her hands against the table with a smile. "Oh, I'm so excited! It's been over a thousand years since I had an opposite capable of switching bodies." She couldn't stop the malicious smile from creeping to her face.

"Kagome?" Worried glances were sent her way from a few of Kagome's friends as Inuyasha called her name.

Ka sent a scathing glare at Inuyasha. She really did hate him and with the opportunity to be sure he and Kagome never got together, she took it. "Yes, Mutt?" she asked, turning murderous eyes upon him. Out of everyone in the room, he would certainly be the first to go if she killed anyone. She hated him though she wouldn't say why. She knew why, but would never tell anyone.

When his jaw dropped and he made no effort to reply, she turned away from him to the map on the table. "Now, listen to me carefully." The spell had not quite gone as planned. The book remained in the Realm of Opposites, but as soon as she had finished, she would return to her world of silence. She knew the spell perfectly without the book, and she was apprehensive of how Kagome would take being alone in her world.

"Who are you to demand—" one of the lesser nobles started, but Ka turned out her hand, curling it into a fist. With that motion, he gasped and his body began to spasm. She began to raise her arm upward and he lifted off the ground until he had reached the tall ceiling where even though she lowered her arm, he stuck.

He felt like he was being slowly torn apart on the inside. His mind was tortured and he was sure he would not survive. He wanted to scream, but something kept him from making a sound.

"I am Lady Priestess Kagome—haha, that's the greatest line... Yes, I am Kagome..." Ka giggled and released her magic from the lesser noble. He fell to the floor heavily, gasping for breath and holding a pained head. "Now, anyone else going to interrupt me? I don't care who the hell you are, I'll shut you up immediately."

No one in the room said a word, several people gulping nervously. Her friends couldn't believe she had sworn, or that she had been so rude. She looked down her nose at the lesser nobles. The one she had attacked was standing up on shaking legs, nervous from the pain he had felt. She could tell he had not expected that from her.

"I want to make this perfectly clear. I am not the Kagome you know. I will kill you if you interrupt me; whether you are King, or a lesser noble does not matter to me." She did not look at any of her opposite's friends. She could see the annoyance in those who did not know her, but Ka could feel the respect of the tall man growing and that was what she wanted. "Here is how this will work."

Ka pointed to the map, to the area that depicted where the ferries were. "Don't bother asking me how I know—I just do. Meia, a human, lives here. He is the one who rescued this body and Ryuichi from the river. He was a soldier, and now lives as a ferryman. Ryuichi?" she questioned, turning so she could peer at him out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to stand a bit taller when she voiced his name. "You,Sango, Meia, and I will cross the river here and climb the bluff, then head around the enemy. Within good time we should be able to make the trip and alert the vanguard to swarm from behind. First though, Ryuichi, I want you to swear you will not betray."

Ryuichi looked surprised slightly and the eyes of those in the room went from Ka to the strange pink haired demon. He nodded gravely and when he reached for his weapon to swear by his blood, Ka stopped him with a raised hand. "Save your energy. You'll need it, and that hand. Now I want men women and children, anyone old enough to carry a weapon doing so." Sesshoumaru was wondering why she had singled out Ryuichi. What did she know of Ryuichi?

She trailed a finger across the map to where the river current would be strongest. "The Four Towers defense will not be used." She put emphasis on the word 'not'. "Anyone who wants to argue that?" Some people shook their heads no and others didn't move at all. "The Four Towers defense is nothing we need to fall back o—"

Ka stopped suddenly when she felt a moist feeling dripping out of her nose and touched it. She had a nose bleed? She turned her attention inward when she heard Kagome's voice in her mind, chanting. Her eyes went wide. "Don't do that!" After living for so long in a world with no vocal influence but herself, she rarely thought to herself. She spoke her thoughts aloud, like an inner conversation only outside her mind.

**-Human World- **

Naomi Higurashi hugged Souta as he proudly showed his report card with perfect grades. He was a growing boy, of course, but he certainly was a sweetheart. "So, can we go see Kagome?" Souta asked eagerly. It had been so long since he had seen his sister plus he could pull his prank on his cousin if they went.

Naomi smiled sadly at Souta. "I know I promised you, Souta. But..."

Souta covered his ears with his hands before she could finish. "Lalalala! I'm not going to listen to you if you're just going to break another promise!" He shouted, squeezing his eyes shut so he couldn't see her.

Naomi grabbed the young teen's hands and pulled them away from his ears. "Souta, don't you do this to me," she demanded through a watery voice. She was having a hard time with life as it was. She was only doing what she had to do in order to keep Kagome from destroying herself. There was an order of events things had to happen in, and Naomi and her husband had to be sure these things happened.

When her husband had been shot in the bank all those years ago and they had to fake his death, they never told Kagome or Souta, or even Grandpa that he had lived. It was torture on Naomi that it had happened, but the order of events had to continue. Naomi had known Kagome would be pulled into the well on her fifteenth birthday even before Kagome had been born. She had known what Kagome would look like when she was eighteen even before she had been thought to be conceived.

But Kagome didn't know that all the things happening recently had to be done or she wouldn't be born, would never go through the well. She only did what Kagome herself had told her to do. "Souta, your sister... she went through the well again. That's why the police came looking for her, because we didn't tell Aunt Atsuko and Cousin Yusuke. Please, Souta, understand—"

Souta tore himself away from her grip. "You knew I would ask to stay over night! You knew I always do! That's why you counted on me to play a part! You just want to be domineering! You just want to rule our lives like the bitchy mother you are!" Souta raced up the stairs to his bedroom and Naomi almost broke down right then and there.

She barreled it in and made a phone call, then left Grandpa in charge and headed out the door. Did no one understand the responsibilities that Naomi also held? Kagome wasn't the only one who had important tasks to accomplish! Naomi and her father had to be sure that Kagome did the things she had to do, and met the people they could help her meet. There was more to Kagome's adventure than just searching for shards.

She went straight to her husband's arms and broke down into tears. He held her and she longed for the days when she and her family played twister on the living room floor. Grandpa was the spinner. The two young children would always lose their balance and try to sneak back into place. No one would 'notice' their little bit of cheating. When she had fallen asleep, she wasn't sure, but she knew it was in the arms of her husband—the man who was supposed to be dead.

She didn't know that he had fallen asleep beside her, or that his adopted children had come home. She was just so lonely without him—he who she had grown up with from childhood. He was cute as a young boy, and handsome as a man. She recalled crushing on him growing up, befriending him, and when they were adults, he proposed to her suddenly.

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**Sorry for being so late on uploading. I'll try harder next time. That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	48. Frustration

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter fortyeight: Frustration

**-Human World-**

His smile melted her heart as he glanced at her across from the table in the diner. She stared deep into his dreamy brown eyes, loving the way they were always so filled with mischief. His eyes made him look as though he were plotting something all the time, though she knew it wasn't the case. He was the good boy since his 'rebirth'.

She knew all about his past. She had been there when he was brought to her father by a mysterious young girl to be raised. But he had been changed by the experience of a rebirth. It came as no surprise to her that she saw honesty in his eyes. She knew—not just wanting to believe—that he still loved her even though they were forced apart by fate.

"Naomi," he said, reaching across to wrap his long slender fingers around hers. She pulled her hand away from his and for a moment, he looked crest-fallen. Instead, she scooted closer to him in the booth and rested her head against his shoulder.

"My love..." she whispered and retook his hand, entwining her fingers within his. Her other hand toyed with the claw-like nails on the tips of his fingers. She felt his free arm go around her shoulders, pulling her closer. She couldn't be happier.

"How many days until she returns?" he asked his wife. Despite his enjoyment at spending time with the love of his life, he was still apprehensive. He had watched his daughter grow and age from afar—he had been forced to do so. It was a surprise to him that she had not recognized him when they had met not so much by chance but by fate.

Naomi licked her lips, trying to moisten them. They had gone dry all of a sudden. "Tomorrow morning she will return...This time the well is going to pull her back. I have followed her movements through the scroll, timed everything."

"So then..." He couldn't finish the sentence. He was too afraid to do so.

She nodded. "Yes... But do not dwell on it, love." She lifted her head to look at her husband. "It is not you. Remember that..."

**-Elsewhere- **

Hiei was, admittedly, trapped. His pathetic attempts at writing had filled up his entire apartment with as many piles of work as was in Koenma's office. The doors and windows had been covered with ink stained parchment, empty bottles of ink, broken paint brushes and even more ink stained parchment.

The once mother-of-pearl colored carpet was now a grayish black in many places where ink had been spilled. Any white clothing he had before the event was no longer white, any gray clothing he had was no longer gray. He was sure his hands were permanently going to be stained black. Showering did not get the stains out of his skin, and washing did not get the ink out of his clothes.

He added another broken paint brush to the ever-growing pile. Surely Koenma had noticed all the missing supplies by then? Hiei's frustration levels were peaked, and he wasn't able to get out of his apartment anymore, even to dispose of the papers. He knew he should have done it before it got out of hand.

Finally, with no more paint brushes that had not been broken through anger, he yanked off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. His pants he took off as well, disrobing so he could take a shower. It wasn't until he got to the bathroom that he realized the bathtub was filled with papers as well.

"Damn it! Is there no where in this place I can be anymore?" Stark naked—except for the bandana covering his Jagan—he walked out into the living room, digging through the piles of paper for his sword. Several paper cuts later, he had it and was back in the bathroom. "Ha!" He began slicing at the paper viciously, shredding it into tiny bits. Only when he felt better did he get the broom and dust pan and start sweeping out the tub and realize he couldn't get at the anymore to throw away the shreds of paper.

"Ugh..." He groaned, letting the broom and dustpan fall to the floor. He thought about easily solving the problem by setting the room to fire, but unfortunately there was so much paper that it would quickly get out of hand and burn the building down. But it would be so easy! It would solve all HIS problems, even if it would create problems for everyone else...

"Why can't things be easier?" he asked himself.

**-Elsewhere- **

Kurama felt like breaking down into tears. At times there was nothing more humiliating than a mother—a bragging mother no less. His mother firmly believed in arranged marriages and would unfortunately invite all 'suitable prospects' over, even while she continued to mistake Botan for his girlfriend.

"Oh, straight A student, you know. Expect nothing less than the best!" his mother giggled with the mother of the girl who sat next to Kurama. The girl was as annoying as Kurama's mother was becoming. She clung to his arm and kept kissing his cheek like she was actually interested in him. Could things get any worse for him?

"Ahh, you're so adorable!" the girl shrieked and their mothers giggled.

"Oh you're getting along so wonderfully!" the girl's mother, Kurama didn't even know the name of the girl or her mother either which made it ten times worse, boasted.

Kurama began banging his head on the table, quite literally. When would the meal end? Better yet, would Botan be coming? Another mission to the Realm of Opposites really wouldn't hurt at that moment! He wouldn't mind a near death experience, as long as it got him away from the three insane women who were plotting his imminent death.

Now that he thought about it though, he wondered why he cared, since obviously either way he would die whether it was through a deadly mission or staying at the table with the women. Sure, he did have a more feminine face, but did he have to be the only one suffering?

"Can I go yet?" he begged of his mother. She glared at him and he withered under that stare. Yes, the ruthless fox demon thief could stand up to the most dangerous of demons in the most impossible chances of survival and come out the victor, but under the glare of his mother, even he turned into a meek little cub.

**-Elsewhere- **

After reading the notebook several times through Yusuke had deemed the book did not belong to Kagome. She might have written it, but it was not her that was the narrator so to say. It was a fantasy novel of some sort; a disgusting smut filled one, but one none the less. There was a scene where the entire thing broke into a detailed description of sex. Now, he was not really a very good judge of writing, but to him, the whole sex scene really dragged the level of writing down.

Then, he had come to a decision. Perhaps it was a journal of some sort, but not one that was Kagome's. Perhaps she was holding something that someone else wrote? But that led him right back to his initial thoughts that she was in a gang, because murder had been witnessed several times throughout the entire thing, and the narrator had even committed several themselves.

The description in the notebook got to the point where the reader, Yusuke, wondered if the narrator was blind because there was very little mention of actually seeing anything, most of it was speculation of what the narrator guessed would be seen.

Then the writing made suggestions that the man, Sesshoumaru, was a dog demon. Well, it didn't just suggest that, it literally said that.

_(I just couldn't understand why Sesshoumaru, Prince of and heir to the Western Lands, had allowed me, a lowly peasant, a commoner with nothing to offer him aside from my love, to continue beside him. _

_Night after night, he and I shared a bed. Night after night, we made love. Now, I carry what will be half dog-demon, yet will remain a bastard child because Sesshoumaru could never take me as a wife. _

_This, unfortunately, brings me right back to where I was before. Why does he continue to allow me beside him? It is torture knowing that he will have to take a wife and that wife will not be me. What will become of me? _

_My death and that of the unborn bastard child that grows inside me will doubtless be forthcoming. How can I think it is not? I know perfectly well that whoever he takes as a wife will feel threatened because of my status and because of my strength. If she, whoever she ends up being, decides she wants me dead, the kingdom would follow her lead. I would be murdered; unable to fend off everyone. _

_I was taught by my brothers to fight for myself. They did not teach me to fight for my love though, and without their guidance, I have no clue where to go. I wish they were here with me. At least they would understand...) _

So was Sesshoumaru the dog demon that his group were supposed to be looking for and who was supposed to be dead because of a woman at the shrine?

A fact he had overlooked came to mind. The shrine they had been watching, what was the name of that shrine? Hmm... Was it important, or was this just another random thought? Did it mean anything? Or was he just pathetically scrambling around for the answer to a question he had yet to obtain?

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**Blue Man Group is crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha! (figured it was time to give something that's crazy...)**


	49. Equation One

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter fortynine: One Soul (­­•plus•) One Egg (•equals•) One Pregnant Woman

Her eyes widened even further as, to everyone's surprise, she leaned over and a spray of blood came pouring out of her mouth. It splashed the table, the map, the floor, and her feet. The two souls, the mirror image souls crashed into the single body as the spell was performed wrong by an amateur.

Kagome had messed with something she should never have touched. She cast a spell that she knew nothing about and as it backfired and tortured both Ka and Kagome's souls, Ka knew it was not only Kagome that was at fault, but also her to blame.

Still, Ka actually felt happier than she had ever in her life. She always had to watch over Kagome and fumble in wait for the day Kagome died and she became a WAITOPPOSE, which was what the creatures that came out of the mansions were called. They were the creatures that searched for a soul to latch onto.

Ka would never become a WAITOPPOSE because she would die with Kagome in the same body. Ka had been a WAITOPPOSE before. It wasn't fun. She had been the Opposite for Kikyou and when Kikyou had died, she had been a WAITOPPOSE for fifty years until Kagome came along through the well in the Feudal Era.

So now, Ka was willing to die. She had caused trouble, and she knew it. She had fallen in love through Kagome and she knew it. But as her life flashed by in her mind, she saw herself watching Kagome growing up and realized that what made her so bitter was living so long and watching so many opposites grow up through a mirror with their families. She never had an outside door and any that there happened to be, just wouldn't open for her.

Kagome had changed all that in the recent weeks. Ka had never expected Kagome would wander into the Realm of Opposites and had been shocked when she had. Kagome was going to be hurt by the WAITOPPOSE that did not have an Opposite in the human world.

The demons who wanted to devour her soul and use it to exit the Realm of Opposites. It was not for Kagome's well-being that Ka had gone to save her, but because Ka would end up a WAITOPPOSE without Kagome.

Even though Kagome was the source of Ka's anger, Ka was able to half-live through her. Now, she figured since she was dying, she would be able to just let all her anger go. Still she couldn't, even if she wanted to. The anger at never having the chance to live a life of her own life was painful. It was cold living in the Realm of Opposites, where the opposition to the real world's noise was complete silence.

Ka hated the silence and always envied Kagome for living and breathing noise. Kagome got to enjoy company of friends and family. Ka only got to watch, and not only did she just get to watch, she had to watch it through a mirror.

The malice she felt towards Kagome grew over the years until it was unbearable at times. She hated everyone who Kagome liked, and since Kagome liked pretty much everyone, it was hard for Ka to feel the same. They were too much of opposing forces.

Kagome stared at the blood, surprised. She was back in her own body, but she could feel Ka there with her, thinking and breathing through the same nose and mind that she was. She felt Ka's sorrow and could see everything that Ka knew. Somehow she knew that everything was truth. Ka had been lonely in the realm of opposites.

Kagome felt herself being lifted up. She didn't know what was going on in the real world, so absorbed was she in Ka's mind. She could see Ka's life of sadness. She could feel Ka's very real pain. Growing up alone, Ka would have been reasonably angry. Soon that anger would turn to hate, malice, spite. No one was ever there to care for her. No one was ever there to kiss her skinned knees. No one was ever there to tell her it was okay to be mad.

_She had to do everything herself. _

It was that fact which made Kagome realize what she wanted, no, she needed to do. Even if, as Ka's thoughts indicated, they died because Kagome had been hasty and tried to perform a spell she was incapable of knowing what would do, Ka still deserved a life of her own. Kagome reached inside her for the well of stored power. She molded the power to Ka's soul and then used it to bind Ka's soul to one of her fertility eggs.

She wasn't sure how long the entire process took her, but when she finished she was so exhausted she passed out. She didn't know she had been brought to her room with a healer beside her, trying to figure out what was wrong. She didn't move an inch, but then again she didn't need to. Her soul moved.

When her body began to disappear from the bed and the world around her became transparent, she continued to sleep on. She appeared in the bottom of the well in her time and two worried faces peeked down in the well when they saw the blue hued light emit from the top of it.

**-Later- **

When Kagome woke, it was to the sight of her mother looking down at her through worried brown eyes. At first, the young woman thought it was a dream. Her mother hated her, didn't she? After all, she had sent her away, hadn't she? So what was her mother doing staring down at her?

Oh, but how she had missed her mother! She hadn't seen her mother in so long. "Mama..." she started, but couldn't say any more for fear of breaking down into strangled sobs. Even as she tried to keep from crying, she felt the tears swimming in her eyes, prepared to fall at a moment's notice.

"Shh... Please, don't talk." Naomi sighed and sat on the edge of Kagome's pink and blue blanketed bed. Kagome did wonder how she had gotten from the Feudal Era to modern times. "You're very brave, Kagome." Her mother stated honestly. "Disobeying me as you have... It's time to go back to your Aunt's, and this time you'll stay there."

Her mother did not want to say it, but she had to. Naomi wished she could just forgo how time rolled and do as she pleased. She wanted a normal life for herself and for her daughter, but that normal life would never happen.

"Mama?" Kagome asked nervously, feeling the tears fall but not caring. She sat up and looked at her mother. Her mother stood and walked from the room and, as though her feet were being pulled after the elder woman, Kagome followed. "Mama?" she asked again as they reached the front door.

Her mother marched right over to the well house. "Kagome, it is time you start living the life you belong in." Her mother began to glow a frightening reddish pink color, clearly tainted priestess power. She smacked her hand against the lip of the well and the well glowed the reddish pink before its power dimmed, sealed.

"Mother, what have you done?" she cried. "The Jewel is my responsibility to collect, don't you get that? Don't you understand?"

Naomi glared at Kagome with all her might, though the anger in her face was all acted. She hated herself for what she was doing, but it had to be done and she was the only one who could do it. "Don't you understand Kagome? I see how you look at that boy! He's from another dimension. It will never work. He is the reason you continue to go back, isn't he?"

Her mother's words forced her to think. It was true. Her mother was right. Inuyasha was pretty much the only reason she continued to return, but he wasn't the only reason. She didn't return for the Jewel like she tried to make herself believe. She returned because Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha and everyone else were her friends, but yes she returned mostly because her love, Inuyasha, was there.

"Now that you have gotten pregnant, do you think he will want you there with him?" her mother asked her. "I know what you did. You joined the soul to an egg, Kagome. In most cases, a soul is born when a man's sperm and a woman's egg are joined, but you took a created soul and put it in an egg, didn't you? So the soul has a chance at a second life...Stop sacrificing yourself for others like that."

Naomi felt like a hypocrite. There she was, soon to be sacrificing herself for Kagome and the rest of her family. But Kagome had to hear the words; Kagome herself had told Naomi to say exactly those words. It was an odd arrangement, and Kagome would not yet understand until after Naomi had done what needed to be done.

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**I guess people have lost interest in this since even though I've slowed down between updates, I get even less reviews than before... Oh well, I can stop. Clearly if no one is reading it, there's no reason for it to be posted, right? Right. **


	50. New Opposite

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter fifty: A New Opposite

**-Realm of Opposites- **

Every time a new soul is created in a woman's body, a new mansion is created in the Realm of Opposites, and a WAITOPPOSE is pulled by the weight of time into the mansion to take form and grow up with the child. This opposite glanced around the new home before settling in, first moving to the mirror room to observe her new opposite's mother.

The mother was a beautiful woman, even if she was distressed. This opposite then smiled. She had a life again. There would be no more waiting, at least for a while. She wondered how the child would turn out.

**-Elsewhere- **

Under normal circumstances, a person would never have two opposites in their lifetime. However, the circumstances were hardly normal. Kagome no longer shared a body with her opposite. Instead, she shared a body with a child who had to be given an opposite. So, the Realm of Opposites pulled another WAITOPPOSE into the mansion.

This opposite more or less matched Kagome in nearly everything, unlike Ka versus Kagome. She felt her features changing to match the woman in the mirror and she danced. She danced because she was happy to once more be chosen by fate. She was clueless to most of what Kagome was, unlike Ka who had known all about the Secret-Keeper and the priestess. She knew even less about these abilities than Kagome, but she knew math a lot at least.

In the kitchen of that particular mansion, the dragon arm shape of mirror picked itself up and began to walk on its clawed fingers towards the edge of the table where it fell and splashed into a puddle on the floor. Then, it rolled itself up into a beaded marble and began to roll towards the mirror room. Progress for it was halted when it reached a stairs that it would need to climb. The little ball did not know how to get up those stairs.

**-Human World- **

**-Three Days Later- **

Naomi stared down at her sleeping daughter. She hated to be the one who had to do it, but the order of events was determined by fate. In a way, it was a matter of life and death for the universe. If the order of events wasn't followed, Kagome would end up screwing up time. Kagome would understand this after Naomi died and only then; long after.

Naomi ran a hand through her daughter's hair before sighing. "My sweet daughter..." she whispered, "Please forgive me for what I have done and will do..."

She hadn't expected Kagome's eyes to open and look at her, red from crying so much. Kagome did not say anything. She just stared at her mother for a long moment before turning over on her pink and blue bed to face the wall. Naomi stood and left the room, understanding that her daughter wanted to be alone. Naomi could remove the seal from the well. She really wanted to because she knew that going back would make Kagome happiest.

However, she couldn't do that because she knew perfectly well that her daughter would have to spend the next five years in the modern era. That was why the well had pulled her back, because she hadn't come back willingly so at the last minute the well brought her back before time was screwed up. The same went for the very first time she was pulled through the well by the centipede. If she hadn't gotten pulled through, time would have been screwed up.

Kagome's life was tied into an endless void and it made Naomi wonder when her daughter would be free to live her own life. A thought came to mind at that. As she went to answer the front door, the knocking of doubtless the police officer she'd needed to call to keep the order of events rolling, she thought maybe Kagome was living the life she wanted to? Maybe she just didn't realize this quite yet and still needed time to grasp this concept?

The next five years would be hectic for Kagome, doubtless. Naomi opened the front door and greeted the police officers there. There was a male one and a female one. They smiled at Naomi and politely said their hellos.

After the exchange of the customary pleasantries, of course, things became more serious. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, Miss Higurashi." The man said. His name tag read Koons; she didn't see the quirk to his jaw seemed slightly off.

He didn't give off the appearance of someone who did the community a good service by being the kind police officer, but Naomi was too preoccupied to care. She was about to send her daughter away yet again; one little mistake at not noticing something could be forgiven even if it would doubtless start trouble in the future.

"It is alright," Naomi said with a small sigh. "She broke in two hours ago, climbing in through the second story window." The practiced lie came rather difficult. Kagome had been home three days, not just two hours, but the lie had to be said or questions would be raised as to why Naomi had procrastinated. She had stalled because she didn't want to give her baby up to her sister again.

"Has she caused any trouble?" Koons inquired, his eyes not looking at Naomi but at the priceless antiques that littered the shrine. His eyes lingered perhaps a little too long on each one, but Naomi's eyes were fixated on the stairs that led up to Kagome's room and she did not notice.

"She just lays there. She went and got herself pregnant, is there a way to have her get an abortion?" Naomi asked, rather hoping there was. Despite all that had happened, the tattoos to the pregnancy, it was the pregnancy that would disallow her from any real semblance of a normal life, if she thought about it. She would be hard put in trying to collect the Jewel shards if she had a child she had to tote around.

The female officer, whose name tag read Let, said, "Since she's eighteen, the only way for the abortion to go through is if she agrees to it."

Naomi sighed yet again, knowing perfectly well that Kagome would never willingly agree to the abortion of a child even before it had a chance to live. Kagome would want to give the child the best life she could possibly offer. Naomi did not doubt Kagome could give the child one of the best lives anyone could grant even if Kagome's life was a rough one and she had to tote the child through hell and back.

"She is upstairs, the second bedroom on the right." Naomi told them and went into the kitchen to begin cooking lunch for her father as the grandfather clock in the hallway struck the first hour of the afternoon. She didn't want to see her child being dragged away in handcuffs. What she really wanted to do was take the knife she was using to slice tomatoes and cut off her lying mouth. How could she do such to her daughter?

But if she didn't, initially she would be the cause of the end of the world... Did no one understand how hard it was for her to do that? She wished at that moment she could be in the loving arms of the one who did understand and who had sacrificed just as much as she had in order for the chain of events to continue evenly.

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**Craziness equals: Me reaching 50 chapters! It'd be nice if I got 50 reviews to congratulate myself, but I won't hold my breath. Read Silent Protectors if you want a little input into Seirra's childhood. I'm not sure if people noticed it or not. It's just a short blurb I wrote as a small side story. If you read it, please review. I think it'd be cool to get 5 reviews on that story. Only two more... only two more...**


	51. Thoughts of Stealing

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter fiftyone: Thoughts of Stealing

**-Ten Minutes Earlier- **

After her mother had left the room, Kagome pulled her pillow over head. The rain never fell when she was miserable. It continued to shine outside. She felt sick to her stomach but refused to allow herself to vomit. She'd done enough of that to last ten people's life times. Why couldn't her mother let her live on her own? Why was her mother interfering?

Ka was growing in her stomach now. She recalled just before she had passed out in the feudal era hearing a whispered "thank you" in her mind. Ka was happy to have the new chance at life that Kagome had given her. Kagome had been hasty, stupid even, when she had began casting the spell in the mirror room, but she had been so torn apart as all the silence in the Realm of Opposites came crashing down around her that she just hadn't cared enough anymore.

She had decided that she would be back in her own body, where she had grown up, or she would rather die. She did not want to be in the Realm of Opposites any longer. A person could not say they wouldn't do the same thing if they were placed into the same situation especially under the same circumstances that Kagome had been in.

It was impossible for a person to say they wouldn't because the silence in the Realm of Opposites was never meant for a person who had not been born to it. Just being there had sent Kagome into depression so deep that even death had looked prospective. She never wanted to go back there.

Kagome licked her dry lips and let her eyes open as the need to vomit amplified ten-fold. The term "morning sickness" was put to ashes considering it was no longer morning. Of course, she did just wake up, so maybe her body thought it was morning?

She shook her head and just curled farther into a ball and tried to solve the problem at hand: she needed to get back into the past but she truly did not have enough control over her power to manipulate and disintegrate a seal. She had never realized her mother had the power she showed to have, and questioned herself on why her mother's power was tainted as it showed.

It came as no surprise that when Ka became a being of her own, Kagome found she was free to hate as she wanted to and at that moment she really did hate her mother. With the creation of Ka inside her, her own life had been changed. Ka had defined what Kagome was and Kagome had defined what Ka was. The relationship was rather difficult and odd, but until then it had worked.

Now, Kagome began to ponder about her actions in the past. She had thought everything could be solved simply through talk—bloodshed never needed to come into the picture. Now, something inside her that had been previously blocked from her sight came into existence; a door opened inside her mind that had been until that time locked with the key's whereabouts unknown.

Sometimes, in such cases as war, it was impossible for the outcome to be free of death. Kagome wondered if they had come to a solution and if her friends managed to survive that war, but wasn't sure. She needed to find someone who knew history enough to know the answer. Her grandfather knew history, but he only talked about what he wanted to so he wasn't the best answer.

"Daddy..." she whispered, recalling the memory of her father. She couldn't remember his face or what he looked like anymore. She wished she had a picture of him, but her mother had locked them all away because they were supposedly too painful for her to look at. Kagome wondered where they had been locked away and wished she could steal one.

But her father, had he still been alive, could have most certainly told her about the past. He had been an expert on it, she recalled. He had been more knowledgeable on the past than her grandfather was.

Steal? She thought wonderingly. Ka had told her it was her job to steal, but not just steal anything—it was her duty to steal the secrets that even those people did not want found out. Her mother kept her father's face a secret; why?

Her duty was to steal? It was her duty? Should she steal from her mother the secret of her father's image? She was torn between wanting to and not. It was wrong, she shouldn't steal. It was her duty, she should steal. Between duty and right, which should prevail?

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs turned her attention towards the door. People were coming up the stairs; she could hear the squeaking of the wooden boards and the clomping of the feet. Their shoes were, undoubtedly, taken off by the door. Imagine how scandalous it would be to have shoes on in a shrine especially!

Kagome ignored the sounds. They were likely that of Souta and perhaps one of his friends. Maybe they had gotten out of school at half-day? Was Souta going to a cram school? Kagome was surprised at how little she knew of her brother, her sibling, these days. Perhaps she should talk to him?

But she didn't want to! She didn't want to get out of her bed. She wanted to go back into the past and be with Sesshoumaru and her friends, with Ryuichi... Wait, where was the thought of Inuyasha? She felt guilty because she barely gave him a second thought these days. Sesshoumaru seemed to be more important these days, as though Inuyasha had faded into the background.

"Am I fickle?" she asked the blankets that would provide no answer. Her heart warmed at the thought of Sesshoumaru, not Inuyasha. Just that fact was scandalous because Kagome was essentially Sesshoumaru's servant. She would never be good enough for Inuyasha anyway, because now she was pregnant and her mother was right: Inuyasha wouldn't want her anymore.

She wondered if she had fallen in love with Sesshoumaru, or the softer side of him anyway. Did it matter? She would likely not see him ever again anyway and she knew perfectly well that Sesshoumaru loved someone else. She had found the scroll so many years ago, long before she had even fallen into the well, and had translated it into a notebook, or at least partly translated it. After she had met Sesshoumaru, the descriptions fit and she knew it was all real.

The scroll she had translated had been a journal of a woman who had lived in the Feudal Era. Even before Kagome had known of what she was, she was stealing secrets. Could she not keep her nose out of other people's business?

Any time she would think, "They'll tell me when they're ready" proved to show her naivety. The secrets had to be stolen if she wanted to know. Sesshoumaru loved someone who could never ascend to the level he was at and he could not descend to her level either. Their relationship was a hopeful one, but would never work.

And now, again, Kagome was intruding! Because she realized she had fallen in love with him—or at least become infatuated with him. It had probably started when he had confessed to her his problems. She was pathetic for loving someone who would not return those feelings that would be devoted to someone else, most likely remain that way too.

Why couldn't Kagome just pick a guy that would show her that she meant something to them and would devote themselves to her happiness, not either trying to two-time her, or else not even realizing she held those feelings and thinking only of her as an older sister? Sesshoumaru had admitted that he wanted her for a sister.

His request had been specifically asking her if she would mind him considering her as an older sister. He saw her in a way that she did not see him. What he saw her as was a sibling, and someone to look up to. She had said she would be honored, and at the time she meant it whole-heartedly.

Now, she wished she would have realized what she did at that moment. She might not have made such a foolish statement then, declaring she would "be honored" to be his elder sibling. Perhaps she was infatuated with him because she knew how sweet he could be. She had known since before she had fallen into the well how sweet he could be, but that was beside the point.

When her door opened, she pulled the pillow off of her head and turned it to look at who had entered, ready to yell at her mother if it was her. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, perhaps throw a few things, and be the normal troubling teenager. Why couldn't she do that before? Because Ka was her opposite; too much of one. She could now though.

She could do whatever the heck she pleased! She felt a satisfactory smile spread across her face as she realized she had thought the bad word "heck". Sure, it wasn't super bad, but compared to her usual good nature, it was bad enough. However, that smile disappeared when she saw the police enter into her room and a scowl wanted to take its place but she didn't let it.

Yes, she could scowl now too, she noticed. She could feel anger, hurt, domination, and show it all rather than pretending to be happy with her life. It all came with her more reasonable opposite. But still, despite she could show these emotions, she had grown up eighteen years not doing it and then to suddenly start doing it seemed ludicrous. She still wasn't rude. She might not smile, but at the same time she won't frown.

Kagome knew what those people were there for. The police were going to take her to the station to be questioned, probably held for a day or so in lockup for costing money through an investigation for 'running away' as they had thought she'd done, and then sent back to live with her Aunt. It wasn't the lockup that worried her, it was seeing Yusuke again. Doubtless he would have more than just a few questions that he would want answered.

More than likely, the boy would have had several heart attacks worrying if she had commited suicide. Dry thoughts entered her mind. Oh boy, I'm so excited to see him again. He'll be delighted to find out I'm pregnant. He'll want to know who the father is, doubtless. Isn't life great?

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**I have figured it out... I just love to push the update button. It's like a magic button. It's like... click. BOOM. Bam! New chapter. That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	52. Night In Lockup

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter fiftytwo: Night In Lockup

**-Spirit World- **

Koenma stared at the vast monitor, several thoughts bombarding his head at once. His now grown and mature state was covered with deep purples and maroons instead of with blues and yellows for his clothing colors.

He hesitated to bring Yusuke and the others in with his mother and father still remaining in the spirit world to argue over Koenma's future bride, but something had been brought to his attention recently and he felt it might be urgent to deal with. After all, Yusuke and the others would eventually meet his father and mother—most likely be scared to death by his mother—so what difference did it make if it was sooner or later?

But Koenma hesitated at calling Yusuke in. How would Yusuke react to his mother and father? With a sigh, he guessed—and the guess was probably not very far from the truth either—that Yusuke would probably poop his pants. His mother and father could be very intimidating; his mother especially because she would sometimes burst into bouts of insanity.

That can't be healthy... Koenma thought. Finally, Koenma decided to just ignore the recent human deaths until his father and mother went back to the human world to continue doing whatever it was they did. Instead, he turned his attention elsewhere to the girl that his father was so adamant at finding. Coincidentally she was who was shown on the monitor.

Three days earlier, she had reappeared after being gone for over a month and the printer had spat out new information on her. She had almost drowned in the Snake River. She had been bitten by a blood-crest demon and cursed. She was pregnant but she never had sex—the papers indicated everything that had happened to her and why it had happened.

After an ill-cast spell, she and her opposite had ended up in the same body. Under normal circumstances because they were in the same body, the two would go mad within a matter of weeks. However, Kagome Lynn Akiko Higurashi was a priestess and she used that power to join the second spirit, Ka—her opposite—into one of her fertility eggs.

Upon doing that, Kagome probably didn't realize she had saved her self and Ka from death. Because Ka had her own body and neither had an opposite in the Realm of Opposites, Koenma's father had intervened and made sure they had opposites so they could both live. Koenma wondered what his father's interest in Kagome Lynn Akiko Higurashi was.

His father was doing everything in his power to aide the girl, even though Koenma was sure he had never met her and she had nothing to do with him. With a sigh, Koenma stared at Kagome's face. She was rather pretty, but Mitsuko was much more beautiful than Kagome was.

Koenma wondered where Mitsuko was at that moment. She was somewhere in the human world, he knew that much. Her sleek body, beautiful blond curls, luscious green eyes... he remembered everything about her. He missed her terribly. He had thoughts of having Yusuke and his friends sneak him out of the spirit world so he could find her, but his absence would be noted and his father and mother would come after him immediately.

With a sigh, he resigned himself to listening to the bustling sounds outside his office while he returned to debating whether or not to call in his spirit detectives to deal with the new rising threat. The perpetrator was a rather skilled assassin, sneaking about and killing important members of society in the human world, but not only that fact stuck out about him. He was a demon preying on humans.

_(Refer to chapter 31) _

**-Human World- **

The long night spent in lockup in the police station was not spent very happily on Kagome's behalf. She spent most of it vomiting up the food that they fed her. It wasn't that they gave her moldy bread and scum water; it was just that they gave her hard food that her stomach apparently couldn't handle even so early into the pregnancy as a few days.

With her being so ill, a sympathetic female police officer who had already given birth to six children gave her a couple Tylenol that she managed to take and not vomit back up before it took affect and the cramps she'd had started to go away.

It wasn't long before she had nothing left to vomit, but that didn't stop her from spending the evening dry heaving. The one thing that made it worse for her was the fact that there were two intoxicated men in her cell who kept making passes at her, letting her know exactly how many ways there were to impregnate a woman both willingly and unwillingly.

It was true that there were other cells in the jail, but there had been a large keg party busted up and those people involved were in to sleep off the effects of alcoholism. Of all the days her mother had to send her away, she would of course choose the one where she was most likely to get her virginity taken away.

The thought of her virginity made her laugh, but it was a coarse laugh raspy from an evening of dry heaving and vomiting. Was she still technically a virgin if she had a child growing in her even if she did not go through the usual process?

Finally the night was over and she was allowed to go home. In the days she had been back she had yet to be changed out of the pink kimono, the last one that Ryuichi had given her. She was grateful to still have it. Wearing a kimono such as she had on did not make her look like she had just popped in from the feudal era; it just made her look like she came from a more wealthy family.

The only reason the kimono attracted attention to her was because of the odd pink color. Had it been any other color, she probably wouldn't have gotten a second glance. But the pink was a very eye-catching color, thus she was looked at by everyone on the street as she was escorted from the police station to the police car.

She kept her head hung low so no one would recognize her face. If they couldn't see her face, they wouldn't know who she was, thus the hiding behind the hair trick. She was sure it worked, at least marginally. It was a little after three in the afternoon when she arrived at her Aunt's apartment. Her Aunt was not there, but since she was technically free from the police, they left her there alone.

A key had been left under the doormat for her by her Aunt who had known she would be coming due to a courtesy call from Naomi. Yusuke was who knew where; probably off with his buddies skipping school she was certain. The only thing she wanted was to be able to lay down in a nice hot bath. However, her Aunt Atsuko did not have a bath so she just dealt with a shower and afterwards went and lay down on her bed, wrapped only in a towel, and took a nap.

Her mind kept wandering back to the man who had given her the markings on her face and body. What would he say if he knew she was pregnant? Would he congratulate her? Would he be angry with her? Was he intent on arranging her marriage since she promised to stay in the past? Did she let him down again by somehow ending up back in the modern era? Would he realize that was where she was?

Would she ever see him and everyone else again? How did she end up in the future again? Why was she back when all she wanted to do was stay with people who did not hate her or toss her out because she wanted to complete her responsibilities?

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**Click. Click. Magic button is crazy! But sexy crazy! Haha! Don't you know it?**


	53. Upsidedown Key

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: You know... I'm still trying to figure out whether or not people really read the disclaimer. If it's not there, they complain, but if it is, no one cares anyway. (I don't own). __

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Chapter fiftythree: Upside-down Key

When Kagome woke, the light pouring in from the singular window in her room at Yusuke's apartment had faded slightly due to clouds passing over in the sky. The towel had fallen off her body after a few turns during her brief nap but since there was no one around that she could see, she didn't mind all that much.

She felt better after her nap at least and her stomach had settled enough that she was sure she could handle some soup since it was a soft food. Hard foods such as meat she was not going to try to stomach. Seirra had told her that morning sickness can begin to take place up to twelve hours after a woman is impregnated.

She did think that was rather fast but after all it had been three days before Kagome had first felt the signs of sickness. After dressing in a pair of blue jeans and a plain white tee-shirt that was quite large on her form, she set to the job of going into the kitchen and finding something to cook for her meal. Her Aunt had yet to learn to read health labels.

Kagome was hungry, very much so, but she had not only her health to think of now but also that of the child who grew inside her. She looked down at her stomach, hidden as it was by the overtly large tee-shirt. She wondered what she would call the child. 'Ka' sounded too much like the name of her opposite, the malicious being that had killed those demons in the Realm of Opposites heartlessly.

Her child would not be like that. Kagome was sure of that. She smiled and scrounged through the cupboards. At least while she was in the modern era, she could better take care of herself and her baby would have the best chances at living through birth. She didn't care if she died in birth, just that her baby lived.

Finding a soup pot, she filled it with water to boil and then took a package of bowtie noodles out from the cupboard to the left of the sink, above the counter. She guessed that not much had changed since she had left. Her Aunt doubtless worked still until late in the evening and Yusuke pretended to go to school. She made just enough food for both her and Yusuke, cooking Alfredo sauce to top the bowtie noodles. The meal would be filling, even if not the greatest.

**-Elsewhere- **

Yusuke was ready to pull out his hair in frustration. Everyone just had to show up when he was ready to go insane with worry. Kagome was back at his apartment, and of course all his rivals would choose such a day when he was in a hurry to show their faces for a fight.

Kuwabara and his faithful, yet cowardly, three friends were just a step behind him. Kuwabara was not really helping the situation for Yusuke. Kuwabara had a tendency to stick his foot farther down his throat than anyone else that Yusuke had ever known. Getting away from Kuwabara would be a major accomplishment towards getting home, Yusuke was sure.

Finally he felt the rage that had begun to build up inside him especially since Keiko and his break up burst like a balloon and his fist connected with one of his rival's faces, sending the boy sprawling into a wall. He didn't stop there, even though the boy was down. Anger blinded his vision; anger and grief fought for domination of his soul.

Kagome ran away. Keiko never trusted him. Kagome was back, and these idiots were in his way to getting to her. His little cousin who was only fifty-six days younger than him needed protection! Keiko needed protection but she wouldn't trust him so he couldn't give her what he so desperately wanted to. He loved Keiko, but the girl had betrayed him terribly.

Looking at his bloodied knuckles through rage-filled eyes, he felt disgust enter him. He had completely ragged them. Kuwabara was looking at him rather edgily. "What do you want?" He snarled at Kuwabara, but then felt bad for doing so. Kuwabara had proved himself to be a trustworthy friend, and there Yusuke was, acting like a jerk to him.

Instead of dealing with the problem, Yusuke ran off towards his apartment, hoping that Kuwabara would understand. Kuwabara was undoubtedly intelligent when it came to things like that, so his hopes weren't falsely high.

Turning corner after corner, he raced towards the Elbe housing complex. He was rather winded when he reached it and even the elevator, which took approximately ten seconds to go twenty floors, seemed slow. As soon as the elevator started opening, he slipped through the narrow crack rather than waiting. He had to switch elevators three times because the particular elevator he wanted was only on a certain floor.

The front door to his apartment was locked when he got there and he was worried for a moment. Was she not there yet? Searching his pockets for his key, he found it finally and fumbled getting it in the lock. He had so many questions bumbling about in his head and he would have answers to them all.

There was a point where he thought about just breaking the door down because he couldn't get the key in the lock until he realized he had the key upside-down. Feeling rather foolish for hurrying so much, he turned the key around and unlocked the door.

**-Elsewhere- **

He had honestly not expected to find her with his Jagan eye. After over a month of trying, it was to be his last effort to find her. If he couldn't find her that time, he was going to give up. He wondered if he had found her this time because he had almost given up. Surely that couldn't be how it was! He had never given up anything before!

The only problem he had now... was getting out of his paper shredding filled apartment to get to the top of the Elbe housing complex to see if she would show up. He groaned as he looked at the result of his anger and frustration at the seemingly impossible task of writing and reading. He did not understand what the lines he was desperately trying to copy.

He couldn't even copy anything correctly and he had been at it over a month! Surely he couldn't be so pathetic that he knew nothing? He knew how to speak, didn't he? He was an intelligent person, just some things he wasn't as great at.

He kicked at a pile of failed attempts, but because of their lack of substance he only found his leg continuing going and he went heels over head into a pile of still wet parchment. With a small grunt, he sat up and one of the wet parchments stuck to his face. He pulled it away but the badly drawn writing did not go away. It was, after all, ink.

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**Happy Mother's Day to all of my readers who are mommies. It's not sexy crazy, but it's still crazy! Haha!**


	54. To Lie

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Craziness equals: Sesshoumaru was stabbed in the chest by Inuyasha's Diamond Spear Blast after Mouryoumaru stole the attack from Inuyasha's sword. Inuyasha actually feels bad and so intends to help Sesshoumaru._

Okay, so you understand this all, Inuyasha got a hold of a power in his Tetsusaiga that can absorb the youki of others. It's called the Dragon-Scale Tetsusaiga. BUT! It's dangerous for Inuyasha to use because the Tetsusaiga can only hold so much power in it and so it backfires and releases that energy on Inuyasha, causing him crazy injuries. Bad crazy. Yeah, I follow the manga pretty adamantly. But hey, this proves that Inuyasha's not as stupid as over half the population degrade him at.

_•A spear strikes Sesshoumaruin the chest, piercing his armour.• _

_•Mouryoumaru's diamond tentacles wrap around Sesshoumaru.•  
_Jaken:Se, Sesshoumaru-samaaaa! •teary eyed and panicked•

_•Inuyasha holds out scaly Tetsusaiga•_  
Inuyasha: Ugh...

_•Kagome and the others look on in shock. Close your mouths dudes... Pretty soon your tongues will be flapping all over the place like my grammy's dog Dilon who has no teeth to hold his tongue in his mouth.• _

Kagome:Inuyasha...  
Miroku:You're going to use dragon-scale Tetsusaiga?  
Shippou:It's impossible Inuyasha! The flow of Youkai-energy will reverse, causing you massive injuries again!

_•Inuyasha rushes forward. Isn't he always brash like that though? Never heeding the warnings...•  
_Inuyasha:Bah!If I don't use it now, when should I?  
Inuyasha's thoughts: Besides...If Sesshoumaru is crushed by my stolen Kongou Souha... I'd feel terrible!

Youkai - Demon  
Kongou Souha - Diamond Spear Blast

Proof that I don't own is that tiny fact that I'm not a millionaire, living it up in some nice home somewhere.

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Chapter fiftyfour: To Lie

He was shocked to find that all the questions he so direly wanted to ask her dropped from the tip of his tongue back down his throat and remained unvoiced when he finally saw her. His little cousin, Kagsy, who had barely managed to graduate to Kags when they grew up before she seemingly got herself involved in dangerous gangs and was never around, sat at the kitchen counter eating a plate of bowtie Alfredo pasta while an equally delicious looking plate of it sat on the counter waiting for him.

He didn't care about the pasta; he cared about the girl who cooked it. Jaw dropped, he walked over to her as if in a trance. He didn't know what to say; it was like any intelligence he had just fell from his brain into his bowels. When she smiled at him, he nearly cried and burst across the room, sweeping her up in a deep hug.

"You stupid we..wen…" he couldn't manage to pull the word off, but felt her arms come up around him. She never failed to comfort him. The trust he felt exuding off her soul made him know just what those gang members wanted from her. She eased the pain, the guilt. She turned a man to mush, relative or not, and did this all unknowingly.

"I believe the word you want is _wench_." She offered and felt him bury his face farther in her hair and neck. She felt so bad now for leaving him. She hadn't realized he would be so hurt. How could she possibly think of staying in the past when there was clearly family members who were waiting for her here and who still cared?

Yusuke pulled her tight to him, not about to let her go any time soon. The questions and the interrogation would wait, but for now he just wanted to hold her in his arms and allow her presence to dim the pain, the edge, that came barreling at him. Keiko didn't trust him, love him. "You stupid wench!" he repeated, reduced to taking only her advice one what to say.

Kagome patted his back, feeling like she was suffocating on the grief he felt. He had lost something important; something in the back of her mind was telling her that. What could she do but believe it? Slowly the pats on his back turned to scratches. She ran her nails over his spine, friction warming the cloth between her fingertips and his back. "Tell me what happened…" she insisted quietly, her voice a murmur in his ear.

He didn't know where to start, or how to begin so he just let it all out. He started with her disappearance. "I thought you killed yourself…" he choked out. "I thought I failed…" He explained how he had prowled the streets looking for her, and then there was the break up with Keiko. He didn't dare tell her about finding the journal, because he didn't want her to admit the possibility that it was a personal diary and she had seen murder, committed murder.

By the time he had gotten to the end of his story, he was holding her so tight that she was in pain. She did not tell him he was hurting her because she felt she deserved it. She had put him through all that torment, worried him so much, the least she could do was to take a well-deserved beating. He wasn't pounding on her, but he was certainly putting _bear-hug_ to the test.

How hard can you squeeze your favorite bear, Yusuke, before its head pops off? She wondered in her mind. She didn't voice the thought, but it certainly echoed in her mind quite a bit. Their dinner had gotten cold by the time he finally released her for the most part. His blood-shot eyes followed her as she took their plates to the microwave, reheating the pasta.

She was safe. She was back where she would remain safe. He would see to it that nothing harmed her, and that she never returned to that dangerous gang.

Finally, he felt all those questions he had planned on asking her resurface. Half of them he tamped down for a later date, because they dealt with the notebook but the other half came barreling towards the front of his mouth and it took all his self-restraint to not race to her, grab her up, and shake her until the answers came popping out one by one.

"Why did you leave?" he demanded as quietly as he could, though she could feel the ferocity in his voice. His narrowed eyes looking at her froze her in her step like a deer in the headlights of a truck. She looked at him for what felt like the longest moment in time before whatever spell he had woven on her was released and she could move again. She placed his plate in the microwave and covered it with a napkin before setting the timer for twenty seconds.

She thought about the answer. She most certainly could not tell him about her trips to the past because he would immediately have her admitted to a psyche ward and that would only hinder her progress in getting back to where she considered her true home. She also wanted to hide her pregnancy from him as long as possible because she was almost sure of what his reaction would be: he would tear the city apart looking for the father, not believing it possible that there truly was no father.

Instinctively she placed a hand on her stomach. There was nothing to show yet. There was no bulge; it was far too soon for that. The timer on the microwave dinged and she took his plate out, setting it on the counter before him. She placed her plate in the microwave for the same amount of time and stood there, waiting. How could she possibly explain the inexplicable events that had taken place in the last weeks?

Yusuke stood, tired of waiting. He walked over to her, turning her around so she faced him, but she averted her eyes. Doing so was rude, but she just couldn't face him. It was too much for her to do.

To get her to look at him, he placed a hand under her chin and lifted gently towards his. He was surprised at how gentle he was being considering the rage that he so wanted to unleash and the frustration that was eating him inside out. "Kagome, I don't care what crackpot explanation you have, but you better give me something or I'm going to put you in intensive care so I can be sure you can't run."

Kagome bit her lip, a sign of nervousness that he knew very well from her. As she had grown up, she had learned to mask most of her nervousness before he lost connections with her those few years before. She thought about the child growing in her and about how cruel fate was to have pulled her through that well the first time.

Why did the story have to be so unbelievable, yet so real? Surely if she told him the truth, he would laugh at her and tell her to stop believing in demons. Surely he would scold her for believing in grandfather's Feudal Fairy Tales.

"Kagome!" He said warningly, his brown eyes blazing with fury. "Tell me now!"

She finally decided what she needed to do. He would not believe any story of well-hopping, time-traveling, and the like. He would be to close-minded to do that. She would have to lie to keep her secret. She was, after all, a Secret-Keeper, wasn't she? So didn't that mean she kept secrets versus told them?

Jerking her head out of his grasp and making sure to look defiant about it, though she felt like she had reached an ultimate low for lying, she allowed all the anger pent up in her show. Her eyes, constantly changing, stopped on one color: blood red.

The color actually made Yusuke step back. He hadn't noticed the constant changing colors because they had been deep browns, blacks, and blues. Now, that fierce red color staining her normally beautiful brown eyes were rather unnerving. Was she possessed by a demon? For the first time, he had to wonder if maybe it wasn't a gang, but a cult?

She allowed all the anger towards her mother, towards the well for dragging her back, towards herself for casting a spell that she should never have messed with to enter her soul and blaze with intensity. He wanted to know what had happened, where she had gone, and why she had left, and didn't care what kind of crackpot version of the story that she gave so she was going to give it to him.

For the very first time in her life, she was going to tell a lie. To protect herself, and the child who would grow in her, she was lying. To protect those she loved in the past, she was going to lie. To protect her secret, a secret forced upon her, she was going to lie.

Briefly she wondered if he would believe it, but resigned herself to doing it anyway.

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**I was thinking of doing a fan fiction where Sesshoumaru and Kagome switched powers. And bodies! Sesshoumaru becomes the female priestess, and Kagome becomes the stoic dog-demon guy/lord. That's just crazy...but not sexy crazy! Just plain crazy! Haha! What? Everyone else does it where they just switched powers and remain man soul in man body, and vice versa. **


	55. The World Of Irony

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Just a crazed fan. Seriously now, this is the fiftyfifth chapter! You should realize this by NOW!__

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Chapter fiftyfive: The World Of Irony

Kagome shoved Yusuke backward with her arms and he nearly tripped over a stool. She let anger control her movements and words rather than thinking the lie out clearly. She didn't have time to think; right at that moment it was all or nothing, and she wasn't able to take the _nothing_ option. She had to make up an excuse, one that he would believe, and hope against all hope that he would take it at face value.

His eyes were wide and she could practically taste the nervousness that was coming off of him in waves. No one had ever seen this side of Kagome—the side that having Ka as her opposite had kept away from the world. She had sat Inuyasha, true, but she had never really gotten physically violent on anyone. She slapped Miroku for his lechery, but never had it gone beyond that.

Perhaps, she thought ironically, that was why learning to fight and protect herself was so hard? Because she disallowed herself from truly showing her emotions. Because she hid behind a mask. Because she was an actor in a play and the world was her stage; life was her stage.

Shoving him again, this time he ran into the counter. Her eyes swirled with murderous red coloring. Yusuke couldn't find it in himself to fear her after he hit the counter. Here was his little cousin, quite clearly upset, but in his entire life he had never known her to be violent. Sure, she might have been involved in a gang, or a cult, or whatever she was into these days, but he felt no urge to cow to her. Beings such as Toguro had been more frightening, but he had endured that.

"You want to know _where_ I was?" she snarled. "You want to know _why_ I left? Let me see! Where to start?" She had pinned him against the counter, bearing down on him with every ounce of anger in her soul. Her voice was a mere hiss in his ear, her nose just a few inches from his. The eerie coloring of her eyes caught his attention. His eyes were locked on hers.

"How about at the beginning?" he suggested as calmly as he could. He had lived through hell in a near literal sense. Enduring whatever hiss fit his cousin threw at him would be relatively easy in comparison to dealing with the death of Genkai and the break up with Keiko—two major turning points in his rather pathetic excuse for a life.

Two of the far too few people who struck a chord in his heart he had lost and endured. He still had a chance to make things right with Kagome though, and right he would make them. He would not give up on her, no matter if she was in a dangerous gang or cult, or had witnessed murder that he probably should turn her in for, or committed murder which he definitely should turn her in for. Despite all that, he would endure and help her. She did, after all, help everyone else and he knew this. She always had.

"I was fifteen when I was first dragged into an alley." The seed of guilt was planted in her gut at the first sign of the lie, but she knew she couldn't just stop. To stop would mean to be caught in her lie and to destroy all trust, something she had to avoid. "Why was it me? Why did I have to be the one fated to be pulled in? If I knew at the time it would happen, I would never have approached even the entrance. I would have forgotten the damn cat that was in distress and just gone on my merry way."

To make the lie easier, she based the lie off of what had really happened, changing things to fit the situation. For making things up as she went along, she figured she was doing rather well. At the mention of the cat in distress, he seemed to be partially bought already. Saving a distressed kitten was most likely something she would do, he figured.

"And the craziest thing is, Yusuke that I was pulled in because of a marble that I had in my pocket." The marble was the Jewel of Four Souls, but it hadn't been in her pocket. It had been in her flesh, torn out by the centipede. The cat was Buyou, the obese cat who lived at the shrine which Inuyasha so loved to torture. "Then, an angry boy saved my life from my aggressor. From then on, I was officially a part of the so-called _gang_. Are you satisfied, Yusuke? Does it make you _happy_?" she all but spat on him.

Yusuke looked at the fiery girl. She certainly was roused up enough that it could be the truth, but why would she so willingly throw it at him? No, there had to be something more than just being in the gang. Something had happened. He thought back to the notebook. If he mentioned it, he could likely drag more out of her, but that meant admitting to reading what was clearly her journal.

With her supposed admission, he did feel a little edgy. There was a murderer in his house. A cold-blooded murderer. Would he be able to sleep? The descriptions of how she had killed those people in the notebook were gruesome. She had ripped a man's heart out of their chest with her bear hands. His Kags had done that.

Did he want to bring up the journal? Was she screening what she said? There was the implied tone in her voice that with a single phone call, her gang would come a-running. Did he want to call her word for a bluff? Did he dare to chance that? Was that Sesshoumaru in the notebook really a dog-demon?

So she wasn't running around with just any gang, then. She was running around with a gang of demons most likely. She was one of the bad guys who he, Yusuke Urameshi, spirit detective to the Underworld, fought against. She was one of the people who would have to be killed. How would he handle that? How _could_ he handle that?

Why, oh why, did things have to come to this, Kags? He wondered silently.

Unbidden, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close again. He ran his hands through her hair and marveled at the soft silky feel of her long raven tresses. Almost instantly, he had doused her anger. How would he deal with her now and what could he say to her? Did he want to call her word for a bluff? The choices were endless and everything he said would affect his relationship with her.

That, out of everything, made him the most worried. He just wanted to be sure she was taken care of. Perhaps if this gang made her happy, he should help her get back to them? Perhaps if she was willing to take the risk of being against the law, he should allow her to do so?

But what would he do when the time came and _he_ was the one dealing with her because she had stirred up so much trouble? Would he be able to lift the guilt from his shoulders of all those people he would be condemning to death if he released her? What should he do?

How ironic it was that the only person who he thought could give him the answer truthfully was his cousin Kagome… except she was the one who couldn't know of his indecision. Truly the world was filled with irony, and it was now just slapping him in the face with an overly large rainbow trout, begging to be noticed.

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**Yes, I enjoy all reviews. But a few people's reviews stick out more than others. They deserve recognition. My best friend is top on my list, of course, for her ungodly humorous reviews that make me laugh on my worst and uncraziest days. The others made the list of recognition for continued support and helpfulness through the first 50 chapters! Perhaps in 50 chapters I shall do another list of recognition. **

**Jesi!  
****Iridescent Twilight!  
****Ryukotsusei!  
****Dark Inu Fan!**

**Thank you all for your dedication and support, please continue to review even if you did not make the list. I judged on content of the review and how helpful they are, but that doesn't mean I don't like your reviews. Thank you everyone! It's been a crazy ride. Let's make it crazier!**

**The trademark saying:** _(say it with me)_** "That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!"**


	56. When Not Where

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: The title makes sense to those who actually read the chapter that follows. Haha! Good golly Miss Molly, no that doesn't mean I own them!__

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Chapter fiftysix: That's When Not Where

**-Feudal Era- **

Sesshoumaru didn't have time to tear apart the entire castle looking for Kagome after she had disappeared just a few days before, but he wanted to so badly. For someone he considered his sister, he would do anything. It took a great deal of respect for someone for Sesshoumaru to even consider _thinking_ of a person as his sister, but there he was admitting it aloud to Seirra.

Seirra was a great comfort to him. Just having her near him was enough to make him just melt into a great pile of goo, but not just any goo! Sesshoumaru-goo! He sat shoulder to shoulder with Seirra. He probably shouldn't have taken the time to spend with her, but he would have gone insane if he couldn't at least sit with her for a time. He knew she needed his presence as much as he did, and that was a relief.

Turning his head to look at her, he saw her white-silver eyes. He knew she was blind. She had gotten that way protecting him so there was no way he could not know. Despite that she was blind; she was everything that a woman should be in his mind. They both knew their happiness would not really last, considering he was a noble and she a peasant. At least for the time being they could be happy together, until they were found out.

He brought his right arm up, brushing a stray lock of her short blue hair out of her eyes. She didn't conform to the populace and try to be like nobles. She didn't try to be anything but herself, and he loved that about her. She didn't keep her hair tied up, and she didn't keep it long either. She didn't sleep with him because he was King of the Western Lands.

Sesshoumaru could see why his father had taken Inuyasha's mother, human or not. The situation was almost the same, except his father could and did take Izayoi into his household because she was a noble. Sesshoumaru and Seirra's relationship was hopeful, at best. Sesshoumaru's mother and father had been married through an arrangement; an alliance had been sought and bought at the price of a wedding.

She turned her face into his hand and he saw a tear slip past her eyes. Truly he had never seen her cry, ever. Placing his arm around her, he pulled her into a loving embrace. Where should the two have been at that particular moment? Planning a war. Love made Sesshoumaru do things he would never dream of doing otherwise.

Kissing the top of her blue hair, he said quietly in her ear, "What is it?" His low voice in her ear soothed her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, crying softly into his shoulder. They sat there as the birds around them continued to chirp. He guessed what was wrong even before she said it. It wasn't that hard to figure out.

"She disappeared right in front of me... Bled, and then disappeared as though she were a demon being purified by a priestess. She was in so much pain, and I promised to keep her from harm. How do I do that if she is—"

Sesshoumaru let his lips capture hers, silencing her. He didn't even want to begin thinking Kagome was dead. The entire ordeal with a priestess killing a demon was that once that priestess killed them, they remained dead. There was no body with which to revive them because that body was purified even further than ashes.

"Don't think that." He demanded heatedly. He absolutely refused to believe the possibility that his sister was dead. It was just a game that Kagome was playing and soon she would pop out of the shadows and ask why no one came to find her. Deep down in his heart he wanted to believe that, but his logical mind told him it was impossible.

As usual, their kisses got more passionate and with less time between each one until their clothes were no longer a barrier between the two secret lovers. They made love in secret, hidden in the house that Seirra had grown up in. No one would find them, so their secret would never get out. Sesshoumaru wished the life would last. He could not be happier than to be with Seirra.

They did not hide because Sesshoumaru was ashamed. He would love nothing more than to take Seirra into his arms and show the world that she was his and only his, but society would never allow it. They hid because she would be condemned if they did not. She would be called King's Whore and he could not bear that upon her.He would never wish that for her. She said it wouldn't bother her to be called names, that she dealt with it her whole life, but if he could spare her that pain he most certainly would.

**-Elsewhere- **

The two had to admit that a great way to relieve tension was to spar. The endless amounts of energy bouncing around in the air at the impending danger just waiting on the other side of the river was nerve wracking so tension was high. They were outside the castle in the forest; inside the castle was even worse, and inside the town was absolutely suffocating.

Slinging her Hiraikotsu in what was certainly not meant to be friendly fire she unsheathed her katana and darted forward towards Ryuichi. While he was busy blocking the Hiraikotsu, she slashed towards his open left side, drawing blood. The pink haired demon's hand snaked out and around the sling-strap of the Hiraikotsu. She wasn't sure when he had sheathed his two swords.

Sneering at her, Ryuichi said, "Allow me to demonstrate true potential with your choice of weapon." She barely managed to dodge the weapon as he slung it at her and it clipped her stomach, leaving a rather vicious gash there. She had already known she disliked the demon but now she was furious. He was wielding her weapon with the intent to kill.

She would not die by the hand of her own weapon, or that of the demon before her! She had her pride, her dignity! She wondered if it was by pure coincidence that demons that could tolerate humans were often the ones to slay the demon slayers but chucked the thought aside when her weapon came back towards her.

They were alone in a clearing in the forest. There was no need to worry about anyone seeing her die because no one knew they were gone from the castle even. Her weapon was spinning through the air too fast for her to catch or even attempt to block. If she let it touch her, it would slice right through her. After all, the thing was made to slice through the skin and bones of demons and that was harder than a human's.

She had never made her weapon spin quite as fast as he was. She was exhausted already, especially with blood loss from her stomach. None of her internal organs felt damaged... yet.

Ryuichi's pink eyes were calm as he watched her stumble backwards, barely managing to dodge the large boomerang before it swung in a circle and came back to the current wielder. He walked over to her and tossed her weapon down beside her. He was amazed that she did not fear him, though her life was in his hands.

After a long speechless moment, he knelt down beside her and pushed her down on her back. She struggled, but succumbed finally to the blood loss that made her dizzy and fell back. His hands made quick work of the wound, using a kerchief that was tucked inside one of her ankle guards to sop up the blood.

"Why are you helping me when you were the one to inflict the wound?" she demanded, though with less fervor than she would have liked. She was really dizzy; the wound on her stomach was deeper than she had expected. "You were just trying to kill me."

Ryuichi snorted. "Oh was I?" he inquired. He looked down at the slip of a woman beneath his hands. She was a demon slayer, and he would have gratefully killed her, but in order to do what he planned to do she had to be alive. The best thing about Kagome's clothes being made from his hair was that no matter when she was, he could always tell.

First though, so the demon slayer's disappearance was not noticed, he would have to take care of the army on the other side of the river. He pulled a hair from his head and licked it. It became as tough as the strongest twine, but as thin as hair and the end was like a sharp needle. He used it to stitch up her wound and nearly chuckled at the thought. He, Ryuichi, was about to kidnap a demon slayer who would likely bend on revenge. Life certainly was interesting lately.

Hopefully once he explained his plan to her, though, she would cooperate willingly. He thought for a moment about that. He didn't really even have to explain it to her, he could just tie her up and make her cooperate, or bite her, inject her with his venom, and for a few hours she would do whatever he said to do while his venom was in effect.

That, he decided, was probably not the best course of action. The best course of action would most likely be to tell her and hope she cooperates because if he harmed her too much, he might get on the bad side of Sesshoumaru and while Sango and pretty much everyone else in the castle was no match for Ryuichi, he was sure Sesshoumaru, from all the rumors he'd heard of the dog-demon, would be a match for his skill and likely not a very easy person to beat.

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**What is crazy? _That_ is crazy! Whatever you decide _that_ is... is crazy. So for example... (my clock)'s just crazy. But sexy crazy! Haha! See? Whatever you want to place in the spot of _that_ works just fine. •steals green apple by the way, replacing it with a pretty Granny's Largest Monster Red Apple• Those are the best. They weigh like a pound and a half.**


	57. Paper Box

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I thought this chapter was rather funny. Haha! Hiei has got to be the best victim for me to torture... Poor guy... bwahaha. Er... Sorry, no I don't own him. Lemme know if you're reading these disclaimers!__

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Chapter fiftyseven: Paper Box

**-Human World- **

Yusuke felt guilty times a thousand. Despite the holes, the oddities in her story, it seemed to fit and make sense when he thought about all the things said in the notebook. He couldn't call her word for a bluff because there was still the 'what if'. What if she was telling the truth? What then?

She would call her gang and they would be over in a flash, wouldn't they? Doubtless with the cruelty in the notebook, he would not be given any mercy for messing with Sesshoumaru the could-be dog-demon's girlfriend, or wife, or whatever she was to him. He had his mother to think about still. Even if they didn't kill his mother and only killed him, that would make his mother cry and he didn't want to put her through that again.

But he wanted to believe his cousin wouldn't do that too, so rather than finding out, he took the coward's way and didn't rise to the occasion. It had been over a week since that day and Kagome still had yet to even go to school. She spent most of her time eating and then vomiting. Yusuke had decided that he would just leave her alone, and that was what he did.

He buried himself in work; taking any menial case he could get Botan to give him. Botan wouldn't take him to see Koenma though he had no clue why, so he couldn't get any large case that would totally distract him. He got little ones that dealt with getting kittens out of trees and was almost positive that Botan was making up the so-called missions. He was also positive that Botan was putting said cats in trees.

But at night, he wasn't free from his thoughts. He was kept awake with the guilt growing inside of him and miserable as he thought about how stupid, yet slightly reasonable her story was. She was pulled into an alley for a marble? How did the thug know the marble was in her pocket and what was so great about it that they would want it?

That was why when his bedroom door slowly began to slide open, making absolutely no sound at all but catching his attention by the light that suddenly flooded his dark room, he was awake to know about it. He looked to the door out of the corner of his eye to see if it was his mother there. She generally got home about that time of night and came to tuck him in and he would pretend to be sleeping so there would be no awkwardness about the situation.

With his eyes mostly closed except to try to determine who it was, though he was almost certain it was his mother, he pretended to sleep, letting his breathing even out. His arms were crossed behind his head as they usually were when he was thinking, but his mother never had figured the difference between sleeping and not.

He felt the edge of the bed sag as it was sat upon, just like his mother did when she came in so he was sure it was her then. He felt a hand run through his hair and a second hand plucking slightly at the blankets for a moment. These movements seemed to only move to confirm that it was his mother.

However, movement brought the person's face close to his and Atsuko never did that before. Figuring his mother probably would only kiss his forehead or something motherly like that, he ignored it. He felt lips caress his cheek before the weight lifted off the bed and he saw the light disappear from the room as the door closed.

Ten minutes later, he was thinking about that. His mother sure was acting weird. Maybe she had a bad day at work?

But when his door opened again, he could hear it as much as see the light through slit eyes. His mother came back in again and sat on the edge of the bed. She smelled like cigarettes as usual after work, but ten minutes before she had smelled different. He felt the blankets move and a hand brush his bangs out of his eyes before his mother left.

Why did she come back? She never did that.

**-Elsewhere- **

With a sigh, he lay on his bed of papers, starving because of his stupidity, but also because of his moral issues. It wouldn't be right to burn the building down and take all the lives of those in his apartment building because he was dumb. He shouldn't have been so stupid as to steal a magical item that created fifty sheets of thick parchment each time it was opened, and forget to dispose of all that paper before he had gotten trapped.

Perhaps it would have been alright a week before and he would have managed to somehow push aside the paper in order to open a door or window and shove it all out, but in the struggle to do just that, he had knocked the magical item over and it landed in just such a position that the paper just kept falling out and the piles grew and grew to colossal proportions.

He had barely managed to close the box before the paper became so thick that it crushed him. Now, he could reach up and touch the ceiling of his living room as easily as pie. He might have called Botan, but then of course that would damage his pride and he would allow nothing to do that.

No one was to know of his little secret. No one could know that he couldn't read or write. So because his pride was in the way, and his moral was being rather spiteful, he couldn't call Botan and he couldn't burn the paper—which would lead to also burning down the entire apartment complex.

Granted, the apartment complex was not that large and housed only about five hundred people, but he'd go to jail in the spirit world if he did that and that would certainly mean the end of "Hiei the Forbidden Child". To think, the toughest demons around would cow to his strength, but he was somehow outsmarted by an inanimate object, trapped until he starved to death.

He almost laughed at that. What a way to die, eh? He thought ironically, reaching out with his right arm to touch the ceiling. He placed his fingers flat on it, and his elbow was still bent. It showed how close he was to the ceiling. If he pushed hard enough, he would break through the floor/ceiling, but again that meant someone would find out about his inability to read and write because there seemed to always be at least one person in that apartment.

And the worst part was the girl was back. She had come back, and he couldn't go to talk to her. "Why do I care?" he wondered quietly aloud. His voice was muffled by the close proximity of the 'walls'. Her face, with the markings he could have sworn he had seen before, floated in his vision. Why did she choose those particular markings for tattoos? Anything else would have worked, most likely.

He turned his hand around, looking at the palm of the hand she had held. It had been so warm. His childhood had taken place in the Demon Realm, so there was no possible way of saying he'd seen her when he was a child, that and he doubted she had the tattoos from birth. Demons weren't even born with markings—they were either tattooed on or else grew in over time, coloring their skin.

"She was abandoned by her family too..." He recalled what she had said. It was not much, but he remembered it. He almost smiled at the image of her constantly falling over when he would show up and would make his presence known. "She should practice listening to her surroundings."

Reaching out with his Jagan eye, his stomach growling at him and demanding he forget the safety of the humans in the building, he searched for her mind. She was pleasantly sleeping. With a small smile—he was too hungry to manage a smirk anymore since being cocky was for the well-fed—he placed an image of himself in her dream so he could talk to her before he was too weak to even use his Jagan eye.

For a moment, he watched her stand in her dreamscape which consisted of a cliff overlooking a large valley, in the center of which was a rather ugly looking castle. It was raining in her dream, softly. He was surprised at how detailed she had managed to make the dreamscape, but why she had such an ugly castle in her dream was beyond him.

He didn't bother trying to search her mind elsewhere. About all he could manage in his fatigued state was the simple dream spirit. He didn't think that he could manage to get through the labyrinth of the mind's complex mazes quickly enough to read her mind before hunger ate his stomach out.

Stepping up beside her on the cliff, he watched her jump in shock, bumping his shoulder and then falling backward onto her rear. "Ah!" she cried, startled. He almost laughed at that but didn't because it would make him lose hold of her dreamscape and it would take too long to find it again. He hated being weak.

"It seems you make it a habit to fall over." He said, just like the second time he had met her. "Do you enjoy that, or are you just that clumsy?"

"You owe me a lunch." She told him. Clearly she either had no control over what her dream-spirit said, or she just didn't want to control it. He wanted to know what it was. He let his dream spirit shrug, playing along for the moment. He would change course in a second. "I'm serious. That was my lunch. I didn't eat lunch today. I had to study."

"But you do realize that you held no lunch to lose this time, right?" he questioned. He watched her look around and then blush. "I take it you do. Well, either way, I unfortunately do not make it a habit to feed idiots who cannot even keep a hold of their own food."

"Oh, you!" she crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "I'll make you buy me a lunch! You just wait!"

He almost laughed yet again. "You're cute." He really had to get some food. Even his thoughts were being spoken aloud by his dream spirit. But at least she would doubtlessly forget the dream. Humans had the worst memory for dreams. She blushed again, obviously not used to compliments as such.

"You're cuter when you blush." Her blush only deepened. If he could scream at his growling stomach, he would, but he couldn't, nor could he stop the next comment from coming out of his dream-spirit's mouth. "I'd eat you if you were ice cream." She looked a little flustered, not sure how to take that comment.

"You're hungry?" she asked and then covered his eyes. When she uncovered them, they were in a large hall filled with food. Then, she whispered in his ear, "If you made a sandwich with too much peanut butter... try putting some back in the jar for next time instead of forcing it down."

He looked at her, wonderingly. She had just answered his problem! Rather strangely, but she had done so! He could have kissed her for it, but then he ran out of energy to use his Jagan and he was back in his apartment consciously. He forced himself to crawl around on the parchment, suffering many paper cuts as he tried to get to the box.

He turned it right side up and tilted the cover up. Fifty sheets of parchment were there, but there was plenty of room for more. He began putting the paper back in the box, closing it when it got too full. When he opened it, the amount of sheets would go down to fifty again.

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**After I get to the part where Inuyasha (past) meets Inuyasha (future)... that's where I'm winging it from by the way. The rest is all written up in a dozen or so notebooks. So it's more a matter of whether I'm in the mood to post. I guess it's the same way for your reviews! If you're in the mood...**


	58. Forced Nap

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Yusuke, oh Yusuke, do you realize? Keiko made a mistake, but I sympathize. However sad it may be, it still doesn't give me the rights.__

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Chapter fiftyeight: Forced Nap

**-Next Morning- **

Kagome woke to a dark and miserable rainy day, but she felt rather good. Why? She didn't know. She had a really nice dream, but couldn't remember what it was about. Despite her stomach was arguing she should get food, she felt really wonderful. She spent a week throwing up, but she tore it off as due to her pregnancy.

She wanted to dance in the rain again. She got dressed in a beige skirt that went down to just above her knees and a soft pink tank top, liking that she could still see her toes. With a melodious little giggle, she spun in a circle in her room and the skirt flared up. She stood on her tiptoes for a moment before going back down on the flats of her feet, dancing around.

One thing she could never forget were her days as a child, going to ballet with her father. He had signed them both up and they both would wear the stretchy clothes together and learn at the same time. After he had died, she could not bear to go alone and so had stopped going, but she still recalled the basic patterns at least. It hurt to stand on tiptoe too long, but that didn't mean she couldn't just dance and have fun.

Racing to the window, she opened it, pulling out the screen and placing it aside before sticking her head out the window to look up towards the roof. It was waiting for her, as was the water, the tears that would drench her body and bathe her of her sorrow.

She raced towards the door to head into the apartment living room and Yusuke's room. After all, such a beautiful day was not to be wasted! Certainly he would want to join her to the roof and dance with her!

With a cry of anguish at forgetting the window, she raced back to close it, tripping over the pants she had left on the floor, then her bed, and then the shirt she had worn the day before which was strange because it was on the back of the desk chair. Well, she might not have been in such a hurry, but the day was magnificently wet and she was wasting time.

Because she had spent most of her week in the bathroom vomiting, or else cooking and then eating, hoping it would stay down which it didn't, she hadn't checked on the Jewel shards, and because of the spelled jar they were in, she couldn't sense them but neither could demons which was a plus.

Today is a day to be selfish! She told herself, freeing herself of the guilt of responsibility. Had Ka still been her opposite, she probably would have gone to see if the shards were there and safe, but she was free from Ka! That opposite spirit was growing in her belly, unaware now. She would have to teach her everything from scratch, doubtless, but she didn't mind.

Slapping open Yusuke's bedroom door, she saw him jolt up, looking around frantically and point his fingers at her as though they were a gun, then sigh, groan miserably, and pull his pillow over his head. Kagome walked over to him. "Come on, let's go up on the roof!" she said. "It's raining!"

Yusuke glared at her when she stole his pillow from his weak and tired grip. "Come get me when it's sunny and dry." He rolled over, pulling his blankets up over his head.

An exasperated Kagome tugged on his blankets. "Come on, play in the puddles! Its fun!" she shook his shoulder, flicked his ear, and shook the bed, but he would not budge. Finally she gave up on him and turned to go, but she felt a firm grip grab her wrist and pull her backwards. Yusuke had grabbed her, of course, since no one else was in the room to do so.

"Hey!" she yelped, falling back onto the bed. She felt his strength pull her back up against his chest and was surprised at how strong Yusuke had become in the past few years. His legs pinned hers and he was essentially holding her down, rather effectively too. "Yusuke let me go! I won't tell you again!" She knew he was just trying to get revenge for being woken up at doubtless six in the morning.

Peering at his clock, she saw her guess at the time was only a little off. It was a little after six. Atsuko would still be asleep. "Make me..." he muttered sleepily, and it was almost like the entire argument they had the week before did not exist so early in the morning. Kagome felt guilty she had to lie to him, but knew it was for the best.

For who's best? A snide voice asked her in her mind, but she pointedly ignored it. She wouldn't let anything get her worked up on such a glorious day. The rain had to be celebrated, not mourned! She wondered if she was some sort of inverted personality because she often times scorned the sun and then cheered the rain.

"I'm serious! I won't tell you again! Let me go!" she demanded. She struggled but even half asleep he was stronger than her, which made her feel rather pathetic. Where was nearly fourteen months of training? Why could she not get away?

"Settle down before you harm yourself." Yusuke ordered. "Relax, take a nap... I," he yawned, "am not letting go until I feel like it." Yusuke's arms were pinning hers to her sides and crossed just under her breasts. She was a bit edgy about her cousin holding her, but knew that it was just mutual cousinly love. They used to share the same bed when they lived in the same house since the shrine wasn't loaded with rooms.

But what got her most on edge was how close his arms were to her stomach. Sure, there was as of yet no bulge, but what if her stomach suddenly grew? It would most likely not do so, but paranoid as she was it did cross her mind.

Finally she just settled down in her cousin's embrace. It was almost as nice as dancing in the rain because he was just holding her because he could, not because he felt she needed a hug, not because he loved her, just simply because he could and what made it even nicer was that he seemed to hold no ill will toward her. He clearly wasn't intent on raping her at least.

Be reasonable, she scolded herself. Yusuke is, if nothing else, a morally sound guy!

"That's better..." Yusuke murmured quietly in her ear, making himself sound half-asleep, even though he was fully awake. She couldn't possibly be in a gang, he thought. She was too weak, too gentle to be in a gang. Even while she was struggling, she was careful so she didn't harm him, or elbow him accidentally. She seemed afraid to hurt him. He couldn't tell if that was good or bad.

Whatever it was, it was weird. She should be strong! She should be capable of defending herself! Well, maybe she might be able to do so when she's standing, but what if someone pinned her down to rape her? What then? She'd be defenseless!

Finally his mind—still tired from a long thought-filled evening and then the visit of his mother not just once but twice—was encased in sleep. Kagome dozed off lightly, unable to do much else. She almost felt like a little girl again, sharing a room with Yusuke. They would often curl up like they were at that moment.

It was nothing _romantic_, it just simply _was_. Not everything had to be something, and sometimes she just liked the things that could only be categorized as a _was_ or a _is_. It made her feel like the world was right again for her, and at that moment, nothing could have made her happier. Seeing Sesshoumaru and feeling her heart race and trying to keep the blush from her face wouldn't have made her happier.

When Kagome woke up, it was back to being a sunny day out, but she felt like she had spent the entire morning enjoying the rain. Still, she wanted to go outside. If there was a place with grass, she could race around and get her feet wet. "Yusuke?" she blinked when she realized his arms weren't around her and he wasn't behind her.

Getting slowly to her feet, she found she was a bit tipsy for a moment before her head settled. She hadn't intended to fall into such a deep sleep that she was groggy when she woke. She looked at Yusuke's clock and saw it was noon already. She certainly hadn't intended to sleep so long.

Walking out of Yusuke's room, she saw him rubbing his neck as though he had a crick in it. "Yusuke, do you want to go outside with me?" He looked at her for a moment before shrugging.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy! Haha! **


	59. Graceless

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Dun dun dun... don't own... do do do... do do do... dun duh...__

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Chapter fiftynine: Graceless

As Yusuke and Kagome walked down the street, Kagome had her arms wrapped around his right arm, leaning into his shoulder slightly. She was actually debating telling him about the past, or at least hinting and hoping that he was smart enough to figure it out. She didn't get very far in it, but she thought about it at least before she quashed those thoughts in her mind.

He couldn't know! He wouldn't understand! But there was that snide voice that kept asking why he couldn't know and if she was sure he wouldn't understand. She pointedly ignored that voice, not wanting to give into it. She knew if she listened to it for very long, she would begin to believe it and would cave to the vile thing's will.

Kagome had merely thrown on some sandals since once they found grass she would have them off again. She saw no reason to dirty socks. Gone from her mind were the Jewel shards and the inclination to be responsible for everything around her.

The beautiful bright sunny day shone down upon the kin as they made it to a small park that was well-kept by professional gardeners. A musical giggle escaped her lips as she released her cousin who had been rather reluctant to come and then kicked her sandals as far as she could, launching them right off of her feet.

"Come on, Yusuke!" she twirled around in a circle and her beige skirt lifted up to show Yusuke taught leg muscles. She wasn't muscle-free, then? He walked slowly and sedately after her, swooping down to pick up her shoes as he walked by them. There were homeless people who would pawn them and while he didn't have anything against them in particular, he did have something against them taking her shoes considering she was his cousin.

Dancing in circles, Kagome felt as though she could lift right up off the ground if she wanted to, though she didn't bother. She kicked her legs up and closed her eyes, spinning around and spreading her arms wide. She thought she heard Yusuke calling her name, telling her to stop, until she ran right over someone sitting on the ground eating.

She fell head under heels and her head landed on the thigh of the person she had just run over. She knew a blush was staining her face, but didn't have the courage to look up into the face of whoever it was, and her body was frozen in place where she sat. Did she want to risk the embarrassment? Why was she still waiting to sit up?

She heard a familiar voice laugh at her, though was sure she hadn't heard it in a long time. "It seems you make it a habit to fall over. Do you enjoy that, or are you just that clumsy?" The voice was the same as she had heard in her dream the night before, though why the person was in her dream, she couldn't fathom. What was the dream about? She wondered.

Opening one eye, she saw the nameless boy peering down at her from his seated position on the ground of the park. Irritation coursed through her and she wondered if he was ever going to buy her that lunch he owed her. It really didn't matter though, so she had no clue why it came to her mind. "You owe me a lunch!" she told him as she sat up, still blushing furiously at the rather suggestive place she had landed. The boy rather ignored her and polished off his sandwich.

Yusuke looked at the back of the boy as he came up behind him. The hair was hanging rather scruffily down around his head and there was a food bag beside him, filled with the garbage from his food. The white shirt the boy wore was splotched with gray and the pants were loose. He was barefoot, sitting on wet grass as though it didn't bother him at all.

"Hey, Graceless." He said to his cousin, to be rewarded with two sets of eyes turning to peer at him. One was a deep crimson color; the other set didn't stay on a color for very long. Strangely enough, Yusuke thought the boy looked like Hiei, but then ruled it out when he saw the eyes were sparkling with humor. Hiei was only humored at the failure of others, he thought. So it couldn't be him.

"It wasn't how it looked!" Kagome stammered, and Yusuke snickered. The pink tinge on her cheeks got worse and worse the harder Yusuke laughed. Yusuke laughed harder when her blush kept deepening. He had watched the event himself, so he knew it wasn't what it looked—though it had looked really bad.

Tossing her sandals at her, Yusuke said, "Are you sure about that?" He was teasing her, hoping against all hope that the rift between them would mend. He hadn't seen his cousin in a few years, sure, but that did not mean he didn't still love her. She was his cousin and he wanted to keep the familial ties between them fresh and good.

Kagome was sure that by that time she looked the perfect double of a tomato. "Yes, I'm sure!" she covered her face with her hands in an attempt to hide her blush. She wished the birds would chirp louder and grab Yusuke's attention away from her. It didn't come true.

"Then why are you still all cozy in my lap?" Hiei asked her and then watched her scramble away with glittering crimson eyes. Yusuke was bent over double he was laughing so hard. Hiei could not tell that Kagome was pregnant because a pregnant woman did not really give off some strange scent despite all rumors.

Intelligent demons could tell that a woman was pregnant by realizing that women bled approximately seven days out of every interval of thirty and that a pregnant woman's bleeding cycle would be disturbed by the pregnancy, stopping for the duration of the pregnancy. A human could figure this out as well; it wouldn't be hard, just a demon with a more sensitive nose wouldn't have to peer at the garbage.

**-Somewhere in the Human World- **

He watched her with a sinister leer on his handsome mug. Long slender fingers wrapped around the hilt of the small knife that would soon spill her blood. He knew what he wanted to do with her first, but he wanted her to be a willing participant. He hated to take such beauty and mar it with bruises that would detract from the exquisite form she shared with someone.

"Do you know, my sweet, that I have long awaited this day?" he whispered into the air, watching her with a dangerous obsession. Certainly she must have known, for he had long ago made himself known to her and soon she would die by his hand, and love by his heart.

Oh the pain he had suffered for her, only to be tossed aside and called a treacherous villain. How could she have been so cruel? How could she have just set him aside like he was nothing to her? Had they not spent weeks together?

He ignored the fact that he had kidnapped her and she had been an unwilling participant in all he had done to her. Through the torture, she had kept quiet and not given up a single bit of the much needed information. He had thought she would give up everything, just to stop the pain, but she hadn't so much as screamed.

He wanted to hear her beautiful voice beg him for mercy. He wanted to force her down on her knees before him and make her do things she would never have dreamed of doing before. He wanted to listen to her play that instrument again and listen to her sing in her magnificent tones. He wanted to watch her dance again. He wanted to let her feel excruciating pain again.

He wanted to drag her through all the levels of the demon world from whence he came by her hair. He wanted the information he so desired from her. But most of all…

He wanted to kill her.

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**Hm. Dark. Scary. Crazy. But not sexy crazy.**


	60. Birth of a Child

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: All of the things you said to me today changed my perspective in every way...but didn't make me think I own these manga.__

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Chapter sixty: Birth of a Child

She couldn't say she hadn't enjoyed the day with the nameless boy and Yusuke, because she really had. Yusuke didn't demand to know who the boy was and she guessed he thought the boy was a part of her supposed gang, but since he didn't mention it she didn't give the information away willingly either. She was just as fine not telling though it did make her feel guilty even more because Yusuke would have a bad impression on the boy.

Kagome could feel the tension between them and she knew that Yusuke was trying his hardest to cope with the change but at times he would drift off and she felt like she could feel the turmoil in his soul. She wanted to reach out and take him into her arms when she knew he was feeling so vulnerable but knew also that she couldn't.

He had to believe she was a part of a gang. But why was she so adamant about making him believe a lie? Was it because it was she honestly believed he wouldn't understand? Or was it because she was insecure herself?

At the end of the day, when the darkness was falling outside and it began to rain, Yusuke tried to get her to go back to the apartment but she wouldn't go willingly. The rain soothed her soul, so she would stay in it until either Ryuichi came to tell her she was needed, or it stopped raining. She doubted the former would happen, so she stayed and danced the evening away carelessly.

Yusuke stayed with her because he was not going to let her out of his sight again. He didn't know who the boy was, but wouldn't be the one to bring it up. As soon as it started to rain, the boy parted ways and Yusuke and Kagome were stuck in the rain. Yusuke knew he could probably just throw the lightweight Kagome over his shoulder and force her to go with him, but he also was afraid to provoke her into calling her gang.

If she liked the rain so much, she could enjoy it but he would be right there to suffer with her. He was under the impression that Kagome was using the rain as an excuse to run back to her gang hoping he would leave her there alone to get out of the rain. Well, she wasn't going to get her wish.

As the rain soaked her soft pink tank top, he noticed something else. Not only were there tattoos on her face, but they were on her wrists, hands, and stomach. The dark colored lightning shaped tattoos showed through the soft shirt, and the backs of her hands had crescent shaped blue moons on them. Her wrists had identical circles on them.

Why did she do all that to herself? Wasn't it painful? Well, he supposed it probably was not unlike why he quit smoking. It was slightly painful and irritating, but he had done it because he believed in something. He had believed that Keiko loved him and trusted him. So much for that belief.

But what did she believe in? What did his little Kags believe in? Did she hold any moral standards or just do what she was told, killing people? He wasn't sure whether or not to believe the notebook after that morning. She couldn't have ripped out anyone's heart with her bear hands! She wasn't strong enough!

Did Kagome believe in loyalty? Well, it seemed rather obvious, considering she had given birth to a child that belonged to one named Sesshoumaru. He could still recall the notebook and what it had said clearly in his mind. Why would anyone put themselves through that? She could have gone to a hospital and given birth to the child; it would have been safer!

_(Sesshoumaru, my prince, where are you? I need you! This is your child! The pain I feel in my heart is more than I feel as the child comes out. You don't know how betrayed I feel. I swear if I survive this, that woman is going to die for her little games! _

_How can I give birth alone? I'm a woman with a severe handicap, and rather vulnerable to attack right now! What would I do if someone came to attack me? Get up with a child half hanging out of my body and start hopping around to defend myself? _

_Or perhaps the woman expects me to tell any attacker that comes to sit and wait until the child was out? PAIN! PAIN! All I can smell around me is blood! Your child, Sesshoumaru! Your child is about to be born! Why can you not be here with me?) _

What was the severe handicap, he wondered. Was it being pregnant? What if Kagome had never recovered completely from giving birth to the child and that was why she was so weak? He hoped not because she deserved more.

He was startled out of his thoughts when a soaking wet body crashed into his and both him and his seeming aggressor went tumbling into the mud. He heard joyous laughter and knew it was Kagome so relaxed marginally. Her hair had tumbled around her shoulders and stuck to her face. She was as wet as a sponge and shivering slightly from the cold.

That didn't even come close to explaining his discomfort. He was half submerged in a mud puddle and even his boxer shorts were soaked through the green uniform he wore. His hair, having once been gelled, felt rather like there was conditioner in it that wasn't completely rinsed out.

Still, as he looked at the happy girl who had just tackled him, he couldn't feel angry at her for anything. She looked as though a burden had been lifted off her shoulder that was too heavy to hold. He was reminded of the Greek god named Atlas who was sentenced to hold the world upon his back after supporting Cronus against Zeus.

Kagome was like Atlas, he thought. She held too much on her shoulders. She needed to drop her load off at the nearest bus stop and get on it, never returning. The gang would likely search for her but they would live without. He thought about taking her away. He really should. But could he?

Her laughter had changed, he realized. She had stopped laughing at some point and just started sobbing. Sitting up in the rain, he pulled her close and held her. Whatever she was sad about, he wanted to know, but would not force her to tell. She was allowed her secrets…for now.

He worried about the day he would have to meet her in battle. She didn't deserve to be in a gang. A gang was for the cold-blooded, and she was by no means a killer. He knew this with all of his soul. She would likely fall apart if she had to kill.

But she had done it before, hadn't she? She had killed before or so said the notebook. He frowned at his thoughts. What, now he was thinking of the notebook as though it were revered scripture?

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**Pregnancy mood swings are crazy. Not really sexy crazy though. Haha!**


	61. Pink Aprons

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: All of the things you said to me today changed my perspective in every way...but didn't make me think I own these manga.__

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Chapter sixtyone: Pink Aprons

The evening went by and when Kagome woke up in the morning, she had a runny nose and horrible cough. Yusuke came into the room wearing a pink apron and carrying a tray in his hands. On the tray was a box of tissues, a glass of orange juice, a glass of water, a light salad with no dressing, and a small bowl of chicken broth.

Kagome smiled weakly at the image of him in a pink little apron. After an evening in the rain, with no Ryuichi to call sense back into her, she had caught a cold. In any other situation she might have gone into her drawers and gotten out some of the herbs she knew would have instantly cured her sniffles but it had been so long since she had actually been sick that she just couldn't bring herself to open the drawer.

While Kagome was basically bad at everything else, she knew her herbs. Her father and grandfather had drilled the lessons into her since she was a little girl, and Kaede only reinforced them. Still, she wasn't the best at them, so didn't know what kind of side effects the 'sniffles-cure' would have on a pregnant woman.

"You're awake?" Yusuke asked her, a blush tinting his cheeks a light pink color. He was embarrassed about the pink apron. Everyone had an embarrassing fetish that they liked to indulge in, and his was cooking in a pink apron. He knew he should have taken it off before coming into her room. Why hadn't he listened to his inner demon?

"Yes." She replied, and then sat up weakly. Her sneezes had started the evening before as they were getting back to the apartment and Yusuke had instantly deemed her sick. He had helped her to change in her pajamas—blushing the whole time of course since he couldn't exactly keep his eyes closed and help a half conscious woman dress—and then took her temperature with a thermometer.

She'd been burning up, so he gave her an ice pack and checked on her often through the night. He had decided if her temperature didn't go down without medicine, he would take her to Kurama. The guy was an expert on health issues; being born to a nurse probably didn't help much for him, not to mention being a who-knew-how-old fox spirit.

He looked at the pale woman on the bed as he set the tray in her lap. She looked worn, but happy. "You're crazy." He informed her, watching her eye color swirl. The colors were seemingly stuck on queasy looking greens and grays, no longer filled with the same healthy colors as before. Again he wondered if she was possessed because in all the pictures of her as a child, she had brown eyes that were stationary.

She smiled at him again. "Yusuke, you look absolutely adorable!" she told him in a voice raspy from coughing all night. He really did look cute in the pink apron and it even had a tiny little gerbil embroidered on it over the right breast. "And why am I crazy?"

"You stayed up until three am dancing in the rain like a weirdo. That's why." He pointedly ignored the first comment. After all, what could he say to it? Gee thanks, I thought so too! Yeah right, as if he'd say something so gay-condemning! He liked girls. End of story. Anyone who suggested otherwise would find themselves with their heads up their rears.

"And you stayed up all night watching me, in the same rain." She told him. She looked at the tray and reached out, taking the cough syrup in her hand. "Then you stayed up all night to be sure my fever went down. Now you made me breakfast." She omitted that he also wore a pink apron at the same time, "I don't get how Keiko—though I still don't like her—could have let you get away."

To allow him a chance to ignore the compliment or take it where it stood, she took the cough syrup, grateful that she would know modern health cures would be safe on her baby. "I guess that makes me just as weird, huh?" he asked, grinning slightly as he took off the apron. "Oh well."

"To be different, is to be yourself, Yusuke." She looked at the tray for a second before realizing what was missing. "This all looks wonderful Yusuke…"

He smirked and cut her off. "Yeah, I peeled the potatoes and chopped them up, and the carrots I did too. Oh, and I bought a head of lettuce and only gave you the greenest of the leaves 'cause I remembered you prefer those to the whiter leaves. There is a tiny bit of cabbage in it, but its fresh bought too, and there's only a little in it."

By that time he had sat down at her desk chair, watching her with a large grin. "That's magnificent—"

Again he cut her off. "There's no dressing because you've been puking all week, which made me wonder if you haven't been a little under the weather all week. So, since dressings contain oils and greases, I didn't get any to put on it. I also recalled you liked your salads plain so I didn't bother." He ran his hand through his hair and a smug look came to his face.

"That's fantastic—" If she could have thrown the plate at him for interrupting, she might have. She wasn't rude though, and wasn't strong enough to just whip it clear across the room anyway.

"The soup I made myself too. I used Alfredo noodles, carrots, potatoes, and chicken bouillon powder, and cabbage and chicken meat. Then I let it simmer for a few hours and everything. It should be good too but I haven't tried it yet. I didn't use too much bouillon powder because that might have made you go all barf-mode; I just used enough for flavoring."

Kagome sat patiently through it with her hands in her lap. When he stopped talking, his eyes glittering with something kin to his usual cockiness, she smiled softly at him. "That's marvelous, Yusuke—"

"I know!" He interrupted again. "Well, aren't you going to eat it?"

"What am I supposed to eat it with?" she replied calmly and he realized that she had been trying to tell him that all along. He carried his blush up and out of the room towards the kitchen. Kagome couldn't help but giggle as soon as he had left. He really was just adorable. Perhaps not really used to the arrangement of her 'being on the wrong side of the law', but he was trying to make the best of it.

Under Yusuke's care, Kagome got better rather quickly. For some reason, his cooking didn't make her feel any urge to vomit at all. Her twenty-four hour flu bug went away and though she was tired the next day, she was ready to go. She had school and decided to make the best of the situation at hand.

At school, she looked for Haru and Sheena but neither was there. Naraku, or the supposed Mr. Akira, was not there either. They had supposedly left a week earlier, moving elsewhere. Had she just dreamed the similarities? She hoped so. She really did!

It was another week and a half before Kagome was back on a schedule that made sense. She would get up in the morning, shower to settle her queasy morning-sickness, and then wrap her towel around her and head to her room where she would dress in clothes for the day.

She didn't wear the school uniform, despite protests from the 'correct authorities'. She chose to ignore the fact that the guilt at lying to Yusuke was eating at her heart, and that Yusuke would be rather viciously upset at being lied to by her.

She didn't see the nameless boy for a while after she had literally fallen into his lap, but then again she was really enjoying her time with Yusuke. He restrained nothing from her though, and that multiplied her guilt ten-fold considering she was keeping a dangerous secret from him.

In the evenings, she went to spend her time on the roof to dedicate a little time to keeping up with her gymnastics lessons and hand-to-hand practice. She devoted her entire weekends to researching her shrine-girl books from her grandfather, searching for a way to unseal the well. She knew she had to get back.

She never bothered to check on the Jewel shards. She was sure they would be there, and she figured that if she didn't look at them, she wouldn't have to recall how her mother had sealed the well. It worked, temporarily, until the day two months from when the well was sealed.

She had forgotten that the shards were supposed to be in her top drawer in her desk and had gone in there for a pen when she noticed that they were clearly not there. Did she put them somewhere else? Dang, why did she have to put them in a bottle that was spelled to keep demons and humans from sensing them? She searched everywhere, pulling out drawer after drawer in her quest to find them.

"WHERE ARE THEY?" she yelped, panicking. How could she have lost them? Please let her have lost them!

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**Did you see the "crazy" that was in the story? I had a difficult time not writing "But sexy crazy" right after that... really difficult... Seriously majorly difficult. **


	62. Impossible Questions

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Please read the note at the bottom! It would mean a lot! (still not owning it).__

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Chapter sixtytwo: Impossible Questions

Kagome was angrier than she had ever been in her life. She was angry at herself more than anyone because she had lost the shards which she was responsible for. The only thing she had to do was hang onto them and she had even failed at that! Could she do nothing? Was she that much of an idiot?

She stormed out of her room and into Yusuke's where he was lying on his bed, taking a nap. The door bursting open did not startle him into wakefulness after two months of her slapping it open in the mornings, but he did lazily open one eye to peer at her. He opened the second when he saw she was positively livid.

Please be somewhere in here, she thought, going over to his dresser. She began digging through the drawers despite his protests. "Kagome, what are you doing?" he asked her, startled that she was suddenly invading his privacy. It wasn't that he cared much for privacy; it was more that she was digging through his underwear drawer.

"Shut up!" she snarled at him, so angry she just didn't care if she was being rude. When she heard him get up, most likely about to walk to her and stop her, she turned to him and growled, "Sit down!" She was even angrier than she had been at her mother for sealing the well.

He sat, more out of surprise than anything else. Her eyes were stilled on the color of blood. Did her emotions change the color of her eyes? So what did it mean when the swirled? What was she searching for?

He watched her tear apart his room, searching for something with fervor. Whatever it was probably was important, and then he realized he had her notebook. It was between his mattresses. Was that what she was looking for?

What was he thinking? Of course it was. But then she said something that startled him and her hands clenched on the edge of the drawer she had been searching in. "Where are they?" The plural 'they' instead of the singular 'it' notified him that she was searching for more than one thing. Did she mean 'they' as in many pages, or many other things?

What was she searching for? "What are you talking about?" he hoped he didn't sound too anxious. He couldn't admit he had the notebook. He was a slow reader and hadn't finished it yet, plus it was so disgusting that he couldn't read too much at a time. Aside from that fact, he couldn't just put it back without satisfying his curiosity towards what it said.

Was she really in a gang? Why couldn't things go back to the way they had been years before, before he had saved that wretched kid and died, before Kagome had joined whatever gang she was in? Was his entire family screwed up? Would they all be viewed forever as a family of barbarians?

"THE JEWEL SHARDS! Where are they?" She didn't care if she had to explain her entire complex lie to him, but she needed those shards! She didn't care if she had to blast the entire world to hell and back with her priestess powers, she would find those shards.

Yusuke stood at the mention of 'Jewel shards'. Why was the particular shrine they had been watching so familiar? Because it was Higurashi shrine, he realized. He should have paid more attention. He had sat in the bushes, watching the well house for hours when he could have been inside the house visiting his relatives with a reasonable reason to be there!

Kagome was the shrine girl who lived there. Shrine girls were supposed to be able to detect the shards of the Jewel of Four Souls. Yusuke wasn't stupid, he had done his homework. Two months hadn't been wasted, and he hadn't spent the whole thing just making Kagome food that she could eat—though he was as of yet unsure why she couldn't stomach anything else. Everything she made seemed to be too heavy for her to handle.

Thank goodness for the cooking classes that Keiko made him take. The thought of Keiko brought powerful memories to mind, but he shoved those to the back of his head for now. He didn't have time to deal with her memory right now. Kagome was practically bearing down on him.

"You mean to say that the marble in your pocket was the Jewel of Four Souls?" he inquired, trying not to get rambunctious about it. If only she weren't his family! He would have bore down on him and pummeled the answers from her sweet precious lips.

Kagome slapped her hands over her mouth as though she had just said something she probably should not have. Yusuke smirked. "I see… This new information intrigues me, Kagome." He turned and walked to the door of his room. He had to talk to Hiei.

Kagome's soft voice stopped him. "Do you have them, Yusuke?" Did he figure it out? Did she give herself away? She found she almost hoped she did, just to stop the guilt from growing in her gut. Or was that a child growing?

"No I do not."

Kagome winced at the definitive sound of the door closing. She had just created an even greater rift between them, hadn't she? Why did she have to go opening her big mouth? Instead of waiting, she just barged in and invaded his privacy. How rude could she have gotten? A tear slipped past the barriers of her eyes and she felt like dying; she was so miserable.

Her sadness was understandable. She thought about what Ka had told her. She had to use stealth to steal the secrets. It was her duty to steal, so it was her duty to remain silent like a cat stalking its prey. Even quieter than a cat. Why could she not obey the rules set before her by her predecessors?

She remembered the dreams with Rin and how the girl's eyes swirled like her own. Rin was undoubtedly a Secret-Keeper. Maybe not a priestess, but a Secret-Keeper at least. She had brought Kagome into a dream-like state for days in the feudal era, and she had shown her a room and told her to find that room. She never took the chance to search out that room.

Would she ever be able to seek the supposed answers to questions she didn't know she had? Or did she already have the questions yet no answers? Why was she always asking herself questions? Were these the questions that she had to find answers for?

…Why was the sky blue? Why did birds sing? Why was the grass green?

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**Please read: Wow! I've reached one hundred thousand words! Happy One-Month Anniversary to the posting of this story! That's just crazy. But sexy crazy! Haha! I've even got my parents saying things like "craziness" and "that's just crazy" now. It's funny! Because this is the One-Month Anniversary of this fan fiction posting... The person who gives me the longest, funniest, most helpful review to this chapter will get the next three chapters before everyone else! Remember, it has to at least make some sense... Craziness... Good luck! I hope you at least try! See you in a few hours... or days... (or weeks, or months)...**


	63. Stubborn Wenches

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Good golly, Miss Molly! Sango and Ryuichi's personalities just... don't click at all do they? But hey, I own Ryuichi, if not Sango!__

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Chapter sixtythree: Stubborn Wenches

**-Feudal Era- **

"Sit still you infernal woman!" He growled, refraining from beating her into submission. He needed her to be still so he could get the information from her that he needed. He knew she didn't like him and she didn't want to be even relatively close to him, but she also had no choice because he was not giving her it. He had taken her from Sesshoumaru, like it or not.

"What and make things easier for you, demon?" she snarled, managing to nail him in the thigh with her leg. He winced at how close she was to his personals, not at any sort of pain she had tried to give him. She couldn't hurt him and they both knew it. She might really annoy him, but she was a long time until she could actually do some serious damage.

She was upset because of course he had for seemingly no reason at all kidnapped her. She should have been assisting in the war which was going on right then somewhere in the far distance. She knew they had crossed the border into the Eastern Lands but wasn't sure where exactly they were.

He had been dragging her around for two months, keeping her tied up the whole time using, strangely enough, his hair. When he had unbound her, she had tried to get away and thus that move led them to where they were, him trying to subdue her and her trying desperately to not be subdued.

So what was she doing with him, then? Why was she fooling around with Ryuichi and why were her friends not suspicious of her sudden disappearance? She felt like cussing and she did, letting out a string of violent expressions that would have made even the hardest sailor blush.

Ryuichi was not a sailor, but he did feel a blush come to his face at some of those phrases. Why did a woman know such things? He almost let her go in his shock and earned an elbow to his gut for it. Another growl escaped his throat, this one a warning. Did she understand that he could kill her at a moments notice? That was, of course, refraining from mentioning the fact that he needed her alive in order to fulfill his plan.

He was tired of being Mr. Nice Guy. She had wasted two months of his precious time with her struggling—two months meant longer time she would have to remain with him. Two more months that he would have to deal with her annoying rear-end.

Not only did she have a strong knee, but it really hurt when it was put to the test of a man's personals. That was where he found himself next—on his knees on the ground, holding his groin because she had managed to turn in his grip and put her knee to good use. Okay, so it might not have been so long before she managed to hurt him, but he couldn't let a simple little wound hurt him enough to let her go could he?

Too late... he already had. So if she was free, why wasn't she running? Because she was, as any person would be, very vengeful. The saying 'kick 'em when they're down' fit right in at the moment. She un-strapped Hiraikotsu from his back—he'd been carrying it for her since with her tied up, she couldn't do much but hop after him rather gracelessly as he tugged on the strange hair-like rope for two months.

"Consider this payback!" She swung Hiraikotsu up into the air and brought it down upon his back, hearing a cracking sound as the bones in his spine popped. The impact went straight through to his ribs and she heard them suffer as well, cracking, possibly even breaking. She wasn't surprised that he wasn't paralyzed because she hadn't wanted him to be. She wanted him to feel all the pain she put him through and he would.

He coughed as blood surged up his esophagus. He was in immense pain indeed. She was really giving it to him. Well, he had humiliated her as they walked through several villages, dragging her behind him and allowing the humans to see her in her ragged state, clothed in her demon slayer's uniform. He had killed several people who had attempted to rescue her as well. It hadn't been terribly hard to do since they were weak humans.

He, however, did not have to suffer very long. Because of the type of demon he was, he had quite the advanced healing system. He slowly got to his feet as his bones righted themselves. A line of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth and his lips were coated in the liquid red substance. He grinned at her shocked expression.

No other type of demon would have been able to stand just seconds after they were hit like she had done him. But he supposed he was just one of the lucky kinds to be the singular demon able to regenerate like he did.

Sango was startled when he was suddenly upon her before she could even blink. He picked her up swiftly and then swung her around before releasing her. She twisted in the air to land on her feet, the Hiraikotsu escaping from her grasp, but a tree impeded her safe descent from the air. She slammed into it with her back and the air was knocked out of her.

"You're better than I thought you would be." Ryuichi said, smiling grimly as she fell from the tree to the ground. He sniffed the air tentatively and a look of disgust came across his face. "Either you're more wounded than I thought, or you've got your feminine monthly problem again."

It would be the third time he had to deal with her dealing with it. He didn't like it especially because it sent his emotions in overload—as did any female's heat cycle. He was, of course, also one of the few types of demon who was most affected by the female hormone overload, and it sent his hormones on a rampage.

Great. He thought. Just wonderful. I shall have to spend yet another week trying not to ravish the nauseating woman. The previous month when it had happened, Ryuichi had nearly had to transform just to resist the urge. He couldn't allow his sex drive to control him! He could not!

Had it been any other person, he might not have cared really. After all, he had intercourse with humans and demons alike before, it was just her stature that made her so utterly repulsive. What kind of demon would fraternize with the beast before him? She was born to kill him, and he her. There could be no such union; such a thing would be absolutely ridiculous to even think about!

"I'll kill you!" she told him viciously, though her obvious stance told him she was done trying to fight for the day. She leaned heavily against the tree, barely on her feet. He didn't know why she was so exhausted. He had gone rather easy on her.

He smirked, yet had to make a conscious effort to breath through his mouth so he wouldn't smell that tantalizing aroma that she couldn't help but bleed out. Her blood was among the sweetest he had yet to smell, but perhaps that was because he had not had a woman to dominate in quite a few years. "Will you now? How many times have you said that these two months?"

She had no answer to that because she couldn't even begin to count how many times she had said it, yet never been able to follow through. She did wonder why he carried her weapon when kidnapping would be so much easier if he left it, but it gave her a chance to fight... assuming she could manage to get a hold of it of course.

"What do you want from me?" she demanded, ignoring the questions and his comments on her menstrual cycle. She knew it was coming. She would need to bathe shortly or she would feel like blood the whole way.

"You'll find out when we get there." He placed his right hand on his right sword hilt casually, and waved to the path beside her. "That is the direction we were heading. Start moving, because if you don't do so willingly, I will move you by force."

He licked the blood on his lips that had remained moist. She appeared to not care if he forced her to move. Yes, it would definitely be difficult to keep his hands off of her during the week, all because of a little scent. His body was already having a hard time resisting and she had only just started. He hated to think how hard it would be when she reached the peak of it in the middle of the week.

When a moment had passed and she didn't move, he walked over by her and backhanded her. He wasn't angry, he was warning her and she knew it. She fell without a single utter of pain. "I'm being gracious, stubborn wench. I'm allowing you to walk on your own. Take it, or be dragged the rest of the way."

She spat blood on the ground. Their lips were equally stained as red as the purest red rose, shining in the midday sun. She turned her head up to look at him, her eyes defying him. She would rather die than do what he told her. She was a demon slayer. She killed his kind. Just being with him was a humiliation to her kind.

But it wasn't a humiliation to be with Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Kouga, and Shippou? What about Seirra? No, in her mind, Ryuichi was a demon; the others were just normal people trying to live out their lives. Ryuichi was pure evil. She had to exterminate him.

The bruise forming on her cheek stung terribly and she knew he would not hesitate to put more there, but if it meant she could be a bother to him, she would graciously take those beatings. Since she obviously was unable to escape—she knew she should have run when she had the chance instead of trying to exact revenge—she would do anything to hinder him from getting where he wanted to be. Doubtless he would torture her slowly for it.

And what if he was an incarnation of Naraku? He could be, she realized. She had never seen his back and if there might have been a spider burn on it. She never stopped to think that he was the same as Sesshoumaru and Kouga, full demon, not half demon so he could not possibly be an incarnation.

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**To answer any and all questions on craziness of pairings, please refer to chapter one at the very beginning. This is a very long fan fiction... You're in it for the long haul. It's like... driving across water with a car... it'll be a while before you get to the other side. By the way, the winner knows who he/she is. If they want to say to the world...well, that's their secret to tell, isn't it?**


	64. Understatement

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Dude, she's got issues. Hmm... She's so miserable... Does she die? Ha! You don't know do you? But I do! Here's a secret: You won't find out NEXT chapter either! Bwahaha! But I still don't own her. Who is her? Uh, I dunno... but I radiate innocence!__

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Chapter sixtyfour: "Sting" Is An Understatement

Ryuichi decided now was time to pull his second to last option. He didn't want to have to control her, because undoubtedly Sesshoumaru would find out about that, but he did want to fulfill his plan. It was crucial to the oath he made to himself. Beside that, it was clear that she would not come willingly. He really did not want to have to control her—that was his last option.

He had said he would protect Kagome and so he would. The longer Sango protested the more time was wasted. Smirking, he knelt down by her and ran his fingers through her loose and scraggly hair. Normally it was kept up, but two months of his rough handling had discontinued that hair style.

"Do you wish to see Lady Priestess Kagome again? If so, follow me. If not, then run back into the arms of your lover, the monk." He pulled a leaf out of her hair and watched her face for a reaction. It suddenly dawned on her where Kagome had been getting those kimonos so alike in color to Ryuichi's hair, and why he had stolen her away. She finally realized what type of demon he was.

Ryuichi stood and started walking. Sango stumbled to her feet, dragging up Hiraikotsu to follow him with her jaw dropped in shock. She couldn't believe her luck—she could have kissed him for allowing her to go with him to Kagome. Kagome was her best friend, and now Sango would be able to go protect Kagome in her world! She knew Kagome couldn't possibly be dead!

But of course, she wouldn't kiss him because he was just repulsive. Then she thought what if he didn't let her go with him and only wanted to use her to get there himself? She would have to think of a way to get him to agree to her coming along.

At that moment, thought was useless. Her entire body screamed at her, pained from the collision with the tree. He had hardly done anything to her and she was exhausted, more sore than after any fight with Naraku or his incarnations. If Ryuichi was so strong to basically beat her with one blow, why had she been able to turn in his grip?

She realized he had been holding back. The entire time, he had been simply refraining from seriously hurting her. Could Ryuichi beat Naraku then? No. she told herself firmly. I will not stoop so low as to allow that... that thing!... to exact my revenge for me.

Three days and many cold baths later—for Ryuichi anyway—they had made it to the place Ryuichi had been intending to take her. The small cave's entrance was just inside the Eastern Lands. Sango wouldn't have known it was there if Ryuichi hadn't said it was because of all the vines growing down to act as a sort of door.

Ryuichi played the part of the kind gentleman by parting the vines for her, allowing her in first, but as soon as he had followed her in, he released the vines and they were encased in darkness together. He followed his nose to her and grasped her shoulders.

She jumped, slightly startled, but he held her firm to the spot. Whispering lowly in her ear, he said, "Five months of excruciating pain. Do you think you can handle it? If not, leave. It is your last chance."

Of course, he would not really let her leave because she was going to be necessary to his procedures, but he would allow her to think she had a choice. She was a near perfect match to Kagome's build and stature, plus she was strong enough to endure pain—doubtless in mind as much as body. It would take too long to find another person.

"If you knew the pain Kagome has suffered, nothing you could do to me would come to the same amount." She told him, and he could hear the frown in her voice. She still hated him very much, but obviously was holding her tongue in check because she wanted to see her friend. "I will take whatever it is, but you had better not leave me here, demon."

"And if I don't?" He questioned with an eyebrow raised.

He was surprised to hear amusement in her voice next. "Because I will screw up your return spell and you won't be able to come back when she does. The people in her world are weak and fat and know nothing of our magics."

He thought the deal was reasonable and so he said, "Fine. I shall take you with." He licked his lips, moistening them, before gripping her shoulders even tighter. "This will sting."

Outside the cave, all was peaceful for a moment before a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air. It was surprising how just days before, the woman who was enduring the excruciating pain inside the cave had been ready to die before she willingly did what her aggressor told her. Now, though, she was doing it and all for friendship.

**-Human World- **

Kagome had felt very bad about her lie and so had stopped eating entirely. She was too wrapped up in how her first lie was failing to even consider anything else. The Jewel shards being lost was always on the back of her mind but seemed of less significance at the moment. She just wanted someone who she could talk to about her home, the time she felt she belonged in.

She knew she would not get what she wanted. She would not get a companion to help her cope with the pregnancy that she honestly should not have had. She would not get a comrade to help her fight against the guilt that was eating her alive because she had lied.

Yusuke wasn't talking to her, and she believed rightly so. She had invaded his privacy and blew up at him. Why wouldn't he ignore her? For goodness sake, she had even gone through his underwear drawer! He should have hit her or something, but he didn't. He just walked away.

That was probably the single worst thing in her mind. He had been so very passive, when she knew he was an aggressive person. He could have shoved her, or yelled for her accusations, but he didn't. He just didn't.

Guilt rode her like she were a free airplane ticket and she saw the memories of her father again but he never had a face. She wanted to see his face. She wanted to go back in time and stop him from dying. Maybe if he never died, she would never have fallen into the well and thus she never could have ended up meeting her opposite and screwing up her life because she would never have been moved in with her Aunt.

Things could be the same again. Things could go back to being like they used to be. She wished it would! How could she have lied to Yusuke? She had never, ever lied in her life before. Now, she saw no other way out of it but to continue on making him believe it or die. Her lie was failing and he knew there was something off with her lie, but worse yet she knew he knew.

She didn't realize when her feet had carried her to the roof that she had stepped up to the ledge that would be a long fall down. The wind whipped her shirt away from her and back again like a flag, but her pants for the most part remained stationary on her legs.

"I can't keep this secret." She whispered. "It's killing me." She stepped up to the side rail, her feet finding purchase there. She looked down, and to her the drop from eighty floors seemed like just a few feet. She smiled. Grief had made her delusional. Wasn't that just wonderful?

She put one foot forward, her smile becoming even wider. "This will end. All this pain will go away. No more lying. I can't take it." She almost felt as though she were falling in slow motion. Eighty floors? Would the feeling of falling be like drowning?

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******So... What am I going to say next? If you guessed "That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!" you guessed right! Give yourself a pat on the back in congratulations.**


	65. Little Girl Memory

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I think Sango can handle this torture. After all, she has to! Because I've got so much more in store for her. It's innocence by the way! No horns involved! Just a halo up there! (Still not owning her...).__

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Chapter sixtyfive: Little Girl Memory

**-Feudal Era- **

Sango's body was on fire. She could hardly so much as sit up, much less take a bath on her own and she was covered in blood from head to toe, in dire need of cleansing. Her naked body lay on the floor of the cave, the blood becoming brown with the dirt smearing in it.

Her throat had become dry and hoarse with all of her screaming, but thankfully she still had one at least. She felt drained of blood because she was. Ryuichi had pierced her skin in her neck and consumed her blood, replacing it with his venom to keep her alive.

She really had no idea what exactly he was going to do to get to where Kagome was, but she would deal with it. Kagome had done so much for not only Sango, but the rest of the group and even strangers so that made Sango's determination to survive whatever Ryuichi would throw at her grow to immense proportions.

Where was Ryuichi? She didn't know. He had disappeared from the cave and left her there to suffer. She was positive he had no redeemable soul. If he couldn't even stoop to help her, to try to make her at least partially comfortable while she was suffering to help advance his spell, then he was just a cold bastard who needed to die.

She crawled towards the dying fire, tears streaming from her eyes as the cuts and lacerations that Ryuichi had inflicted upon her person burned with dirt in them. "Damn you, Sango...Why did you agree to this?" she hissed, curling up into a ball by the fire that had ignited the instant her blood started to wash the floor. Where had he taken her clothes?

It hurt so much. The venom inside of her was tearing at her insides. How could he have just left her alone to deal with it? Did he just have no heart at all?

**-Elsewhere- **

Ryuichi's usually bubble gum pink eyes had bled red. He was miles away from Sango because she had reached the peak of her heat cycle and he was very near transforming just to handle the surging emotions. He didn't want to transform, but he was about to do so.

Why? He asked himself. Why didn't he just take the woman and be done with it? It wasn't like she would be able to fight him; she was too wounded at the moment to do much of anything. But that was the problem right there. Ryuichi had never taken a woman against their will in his life and he wasn't about to start then. It went against his morals to do just that.

The only women he had ever had intercourse had wanted it. He could have used trickery or any matter of deceit to get them into his bed, but he hadn't done that. So despite how much he disliked Sango, he wouldn't put her through that particular torture. He might snicker at her inability to handle the pain she had to deal with the past few days, but he was a decent guy for the most part.

He was miles away, but he could still smell her. Her scent was in his clothing and in the clothing in his hands, making his hormones rage. A small part of him wanted to go back, but he refused. He knelt down and began to pull off his clothing, placing both his and Sango's in a pile before dipping into the cold lake. His swords were on the edge of the water, but he wasn't worried. If he was attacked, he had all the weapons he could possibly want right with him.

He dunked his head under the water and rubbed his hands through his hair, trying to wash out the scent that was Sango. He let the water go down his throat, trying to wash out the taste that was Sango. He rubbed his eyes, trying to get the image of her lying on the ground and suffering from his mind. What did he care if she suffered? She was a demon slayer; she killed his kind!

**-Flashback- **

_There was an image of a little girl in his mind. She held up a shiny stone to him and smiled. 'Mommy says not all demons are bad. But daddy says it's the ones that look the most human that I have to be careful for. Are you going to hurt me?' _

_'I'm not going to hurt you.' He had told her. He had no interest in harming little girls, defenseless as they were. He only fought worthy opponents that would give him a challenge. He noticed the demon slayer's bone boomerang about ten feet away from her and knew she was just a beginner because a slayer with any sense at all would not risk leaving themselves so open to attack. _

_She walked around him in a circle, as though eyeing him critically. 'I don't like your pants!' she said abruptly. Her human eyes peered up at him as though she completely trusted him, even though she had only been playing by the river until he had come along. He was a stranger. _

_He couldn't help but chuckle and pick at his pants. 'What don't you like about them?' he asked her, kneeling by the water to wash his face. After walking for many days, he had heard the trickling water from the brook and congregated towards it. He hadn't expected anyone else to be nearby. _

_'They are icky colored.' She responded and nodded as though that explained everything. He looked at them. The fabric that had once been green was mud stained and blood spattered. They needed to be washed as much as the rest of him did. _

_'Then I shall keep that in mind when purchasing new clothes. Where are your mother and father? Surely a child such as yourself would not be all alone.' _

_She shook her head. 'Mommy and daddy are in the village. Mommy is giving birth to my new sibling, and daddy is with her, so I came to play by the water. My tutor is dumb and wants me to learn my letters, but I don't want to! No sir, I don't! Do you want to see something I learned?' _

_He took his kerchief out from his boot and wet it in the brook, rubbing the back of his neck with it. 'Of course.' He wondered how he had gotten into the strange conversation with the little girl. All he had done was enter the clearing and suddenly she approached him and began speaking as though she had known him forever. _

_The little girl hastily moved to a flat area of the ground and started a handstand, but she fell before she could completely get her feet in the air. 'Owie!' she complained, having landed on a rock that was rather unforgiving. _

_Ryuichi walked over to her. 'Try again.' He told her. She did so and as she put her feet up in the air, he grasped her ankles gently. 'Steady your weight and check to be sure your hands are just a little more than shoulder length apart.' The girl did so and then he released her ankles. _

_She giggled. 'See? Look what I can do!' _

_'Good job.' He congratulated her. _

**-End Flashback- **

Ryuichi lifted his head above water again, treading the water. A growl escaped his throat. That had been a long time ago, and the boomerang was used by many of the slayers. The little girl had had a smaller version, but Ryuichi had made her a new one, engraving his mark upon the piece.

He had gone back to that stream several times and talked to her as she was growing up, eventually sneaking in to the slayer village and her room to give her the full boomerang that she would use when she got older. But just because of the coincidence of the child and Sango using the same weapon did not mean he had come across the girl again, in a much older and supposedly mature form.

He really hoped that Sango was not the little girl. He had to keep in mind that humans were likely to have brown eyes. It was a common trait. Besides, with how Sango distrusted demons, it was not likely she was so trusting as a child. Or had she just been scathed one to many times growing up?

He groaned. Now, not only was he _wanting_ but he was also getting a terrible migraine with all his thinking. He had to stop thinking then—simple enough solution to come to, but much harder to follow than think. There he went, thinking again.

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**When things get good... cut them away from their drug supply! Consider the story your drug! Bwahaha! And I am the dealer! Am I good or what? I am so enjoying myself at your intolerably annoyed expense! Bwahaha! See you tomorrow... (or the next day, or the next).**


	66. Sweaty Hands

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Oh-em-gee! OH-EM-GEE! She's falling! I'm HYSTERICAL! AH! OMGEE! OMGEE! Oka, that's enough of that... Bwaha... Another of those lame stop-it-wh----AHHH! EVIL MINIONS HAVE COME FOR ME! (No, it's just my dad, coming to take me to a wedding rehersal). SAVE ME! AHH! Please! I thought I was gonna stop outbursting...(I don't own her, I just like making her fall from high places and hope to death she does not live...worried much?).__

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Chapter sixtysix: Sweaty Hands

**-Human World-**

Kagome looked up and found, with no small amount of surprise, that she had not managed to fall. Brown eyes stared down at her, blazing with anger. "The hell do you think you're doing?" the man asked her, and she smiled at him. "Quit moving!" he yelped, panicking as she swung slightly back and forth, hitting the wall of the building.

Because of the position he was in, the man could not easily get footing and pull her back up. "Yusuke, I'm sorry." She told him quietly, but he heard her anyway. He saw the tear stains on her cheeks and he knew she had made up her mind. With both hands, he held her wrist, but barely and his grip was slipping. She had to grab his arm, give him some more purchase. "I can't continue to lie to you."

He wanted to smack her for lying to him and admitting she had done so, but if he let her go she would die. He wouldn't let her die, even if she had made up her mind. "You can always tell me the truth!" he yelled down to her, his knees basically being the only thing that held him from falling to the same death she had seemingly accepted. He could always blast himself back up in the air using his spirit gun, but if he could avoid that, he would. "That's the thing about lies, is that you always have the truth to fall back on!"

Kagome looked at him with a sad smile. "Release me to my fate, Yusuke. I lost the shards. I can't go back now anyway with them gone." Looking at her, Yusuke felt his heart wrench in his chest. How could such a pure creature such as his cousin, who radiated trust and safety, be drawn to death? What did Lady Misery have against her?

"I won't let you do this!" He felt his eyes well up with tears. How could she let herself come to this? How could she have fallen so far from her pedestal that she would want to kill herself? He felt like it was entirely his fault that she had fallen so low. Everyone in his family had always said that there was an angel and a devil born to every family and Yusuke and Kagome were their family's pair.

Yusuke most certainly was no angel, and that left Kagome to be the good one. "Please, Yusuke; I cannot bear this life on myself anymore. I cannot continue to pretend I am something I am not." She begged him, let her go. "I cannot continue this way." With her eyes, she pleaded him, let her go.

"I'll kick your ass when I get you back up here if you ask me to let you go again!" he snarled, invoking a startled response from her. He felt his palms getting sweaty in the hot air of the day. "I won't let you go!"

He meant a multitude of meanings behind that statement and she could feel every single one of them hit her full force. She knew her cousin loved her, so why was she inflicting the pain upon him, threatening her own life? She had hit him below the belt with that one, a move she would not have normally done.

Still, why did she force herself to suffer so much for everyone else? She didn't have the answer to that question. She looked at Yusuke when he said, "I'll help you find your shards, just grab my hand, please! I forgive you for lying to me, I don't care anyway! I've got my secrets too. It's like your being pregnant! I didn't mention anything about it, because eventually the truth comes out anyway! Just grab my arm and come back to me!"

Kagome felt pure horror strip through her. She had forgotten about the baby. How could she have forgotten? Her stomach growled after three days of starving herself, wallowing in self misery, or torturing herself in her dreams. She could take her own life, but she couldn't do that to her baby. Her strangely conceived baby deserved a new life!

Yusuke felt her wrist slipping from his sweaty hands. "Grab my arm! NOW!" he yelled. He couldn't pull her up because he couldn't find anything to hold on to. His hands were occupied, he was bent over the rail rather crookedly, and his knees were what held them up but barely.

I have to live for my baby, and for Yusuke. For the people who do care... what the hell was I thinking? She felt her hand slip from his grip just as one of Yusuke's tears fell from his eyes to land on her face. Why did bad things have to continue to happen just as she made up her mind to live again? "KAGOME!" she heard Yusuke yell, but it was useless.

She should have figured Yusuke would notice the lack of feminine products in the bathroom. His mother spent more time away from the apartment than at it so any feminine products in the garbage would not have been from her. They would have been from Kagome. Without them there, he doubtless would have recognized the change. She had been there long enough that she should have had it at least two times.

She was falling. She felt the air whip around her, pulling her hair back up towards Yusuke. Yusuke couldn't save her now. She should have grabbed his arm before the sweat made his hand too slick. "It's not your fault..." she whispered to him, her eyes locking with his. It was almost as though she really was falling in slow motion away from him, when really she was going towards the ground at an alarmingly fast speed.

Tears sprung to her eyes and she recalled the fall from the cliff. She had survived that and it had been about the same distance from the ground. Or had it been? She couldn't tell anymore. Time was blurring into each other.

Where was the flashback of her life? Why hadn't it come again? Did every person only get one flashback?

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**I am your common, every day fan fiction drug dealer. If fan fiction really was a drug, you readers would have overdosed on your daily drugs because I update so often. Doesn't that bother you? I think that's just crazy. Wierd crazy; no sexy involved. Haha!**


	67. Double Appearance

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I don't own Hiei... I just like making him look like an idiot. It's funny when inanimate objects outsmart him. __

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Chapter sixtyseven: Double What They Seem

**-Thirty Minutes Previous- **

It was with no small amount of hesitation that he held the wrist of Haru and Sheena while he knew Kagome was climbing up on the ledge on the Elbe housing complex. He couldn't see that far up, but he knew it was happening because the scroll told him it was. Haru and Sheena, the twins, did not know why they were there but their attention often wandered and it was Haru and Sheena that had to catch her.

He could have stopped her already! Why was he not going up there and yanking her off the rail? Someone had to be covered on the ground end. "Dad, why are we here?" Haru complained, trying to shake off the hand that held his wrist in a firm grasp. Haru's red and silver highlights shone brightly in the sunlight, but not as blindingly as Sheena's did.

Sheena peered around Naraku to look at Haru, narrowing her brown eyes before sticking her tongue out at him. "Sit still, you twit." She scorned her twin. "Obviously something important brought us here."

Haru's hand flicked out, trying to reach her tongue, but she hopped back. Naraku looked at them, irritated. "That is enough." He scolded. His grip tightened and he pulled Sheena back to stand beside him. "We are here because the two of you have to catch Kagome. Got it?" He looked up and narrowed his eyes as they stared at him in disbelief. "Start climbing the wall of the Elbe housing complex."

"But dad!" Haru exclaimed. He was really confused over the matter. Why was their father telling them to catch Kagome? Why would she be falling? How did their father even know it would happen? They knew their dad had power, but did he really have the power to read the future?

Sheena finished for Haru, "You said not to do things like that in public!" She was also confused, and neither twin was able to hide it. They both just stared at Naraku with incredulous looks on their faces.

Naraku released their wrists. "Do as I say and keep your eyes up. I won't let you be seen."

The twins knew better than to argue with Naraku on the matter when he was so determined. They raced towards the street, vaulting up into the air and straight across the traffic overloaded street. They could feel the power of their father swirling around them, keeping them hidden from sight of regular mortals.

Once they reached the Elbe housing complex, they both crouched low in unison before springing upward and letting their fingers catch their separate choice window sill of the building, using that as a vault board to continue upward. They launched from window sill to window sill, each climbing their separate ways as they finally realized what all the training their father had put them through growing up was for.

Their father had known by some mysterious way that they would need to make a climb like they were doing. Two regular human mortals, or at least mostly regular if you discounted the fact of all the particularly odd skills they had acquired through rather rough training, were ascending the outside of the Elbe housing complex. It was difficult to climb, that much was true, but it was possible. In their world, impossible was possible because their father had taught them that.

Haru and Sheena did as they were told and kept their eyes faced up. They were very curious as to how their father—who had met Kagome only once—knew she would fall. Then, as they neared the top, they saw he had been right. Kagome was being held by the grip of Yusuke Urameshi, who looked to be desperately trying to pull Kagome back up. It surprised both of them that Yusuke was having so much trouble. He was, after all, the strongest punk in the neighborhood!

"Shee! You seeing what I'm—"

"Ye—"

"What do we—"

"Should we wai—"

"Think we'll be able to ca—"

"I hope—"

Sheena and Haru rarely had to finish sentences because they knew what each other thought. While they were talking—shouting to each other would be more accurate—they continued to climb, getting closer to the scene. When Kagome slipped from Yusuke's grip, the decision was made in a split second, and the twins bunched up their muscles, preparing themselves.

Haru launched himself from the ledge, aiming for Kagome. Sheena launched herself from the ledge, aiming for Haru. Their father had drilled them for hours on catching a full sized person falling. The maneuver was as natural to them as taking the blame was natural to Kagome. Very natural.

**-Elsewhere- **

Hiei looked at the Paper Box with a growl. The Jewel shards were inside of it, and he was afraid to try dumping out the contents to find them. It hadn't been the smartest thing for him to get frustrated and just start picking up piles of paper, shoving them in the box. In two months, he hadn't been able to figure out how to get them out, or he might have gone to take them back to Kagome already.

He'd been trying for two months and nothing worked. He wondered if burning the box would work, but was slightly afraid to try going that far. What if there was no way to get the shards then and they were stuck in some sort of 'other' dimension?

Angry, the Forbidden Child kicked the box and it tipped over, opening. Papers began to spew out of it and scatter all over the room. "No!" He cried and dove for the cover, planting it back on the box. His apartment was sprinkled with paper on one side. "I'm going to chain this stupid box up." He promised himself. It was becoming more trouble than it was honestly worth.

"Evil, accursed box," he muttered under his breath. "Feel my wrath!" He began to beat on the lid with his fist, steadying the top with his other hand so it wouldn't fall off. Once again, he had been outsmarted by an inanimate object because it had the Jewel shards. He swore it must have been laughing at him because despite all his strength, he could not make a single scratch on it, much less break it.

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**Here's your daily dose of drugs! That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha! **


	68. Catch

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: It would be pointless to describe in detail how much I don't own a lot of the characters I use. It would be doubly pointless to describe in detail how much I own the characters I made up (or pulled from my arse as Jesi says). So, just leave it at, "I own what is not yours or anyone elses." That works.__

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Chapter sixtyeight: Catch

**-Elsewhere- **

Yusuke was horrified as Kagome fell. She was going to die wasn't she? Then, suddenly as though they had come out of no where, he noticed Haru and Sheena Akira climbing towards her. Before he could so much as blink, they vaulted towards her, Haru catching Kagome in his arms, and Sheena catching Haru with her legs around his waist.

Sheena's arms caught a window sill ledge and their bodies rather gracelessly crashed into the wall of the building as their momentum carried them on their trajectory path. But there was something wrong. Sheena hadn't taken into account that the stone might be weathered enough to crumble under their weight. It did just that and one of her hands fell free.

"Kyaaa!" She cried. She tried to replace that hand, but it was difficult and her grip was slipping.

"Shee! Hang on!" Haru told his sister. Of course, Yusuke was no normal human. His heightened spirit awareness—or ability to use his spirit energy at least—gave him the power to see through the barrier that was supposed to keep people from seeing the twins.

Kagome looked at Haru and Sheena, surprised that she was still alive. Of course, with the way they were wobbling, she guessed it was only a matter of time before they all died. No! she yelled at herself. I cannot be the cause of their deaths as well! Why is everyone protecting me? Why can't I do it myself?

Torn apart by the fact that she was so weak, she turned inside herself and searched for that power that she knew was there. Who cares if I don't know math? I don't! Didn't I make a promise that I would take this world with me before I died? I won't break that promise! Ka told me I would live for a thousand years! Am I going to just cut my life short over nine hundred eighty years?

She found the well of power inside her and reached for it. She had to save Haru and Sheena. Why were they there? Weren't they human? How did they save her if they were human? Her power wanted to resist her this time, unlike the time when she had been drowning, but she grasped it firmly. She would not fail! She would mold it to her will!

Finally her power caved and she gripped Haru around the waist. "Hang on to me, please." She told him in a whisper. "I'm sorry you had to come save me." She let her power create a sort of rope and pushed it as hard as she could towards Yusuke, tying it around his wrist.

Yusuke was surprised when he suddenly felt an invisible energy wrap around his wrist like a rope. He looked at his hand and wrist and saw nothing there, but he could feel it there like it was the brush of a feather. He wasn't sure how he knew, but something told him that the power belonged to his cousin.

As the energy rope flared to life, he saw bright pink light binding his wrist to that of his cousin. It didn't hurt, so he figured whatever had been done was meant to help the situation. "Good girl, Kags... that's my girl..." He braced himself and then suddenly the tension on the rope became rather heavy and he realized that Kagome was allowing the length of the rope to shorten.

Sheena was surprised when she started lifting in the air. She clung to Haru with her legs, hoping that their father had more power than just barriers and supposedly reading the future. She was relying totally on that power, whatever it was, because she no longer had even a small grip on the ledge.

**-Later- **

Yusuke had waited all evening for a reply from Kagome, but he just wasn't getting it. It didn't help him that he was attached to her at the wrist by a once-again invisible rope made of a strange sort of energy. They had three feet of separation between the two of them, and Kagome was constantly lifting her hands to look at her palms as though they were not her own.

Finally he just got tired of waiting. He wanted to beat her, pummel her, for even thinking of committing suicide. Why had she fallen so low, his little angel of a cousin? He thought about what she had said.

_"Yusuke, I'm sorry...I can't continue to lie to you...Release me to my fate, Yusuke. I lost the shards. I can't go back now anyway with them gone...Please, Yusuke; I cannot bear this life on myself anymore. I cannot continue to pretend I am something I am not...I cannot continue this way." _

What lie could have torn her apart so much that she wanted death over life? Were the shards of the Jewel of Four Souls really so important? Was she really with a gang? Did they want her because she could see the shards?

Would she be punished for losing them? What life was she living that was so terrible? Was she regretting killing all those people that her notebook said she did? What was she pretending to be? Why couldn't she continue, and what way was she living?

He was going to start pulling his hair out with anger at all the questions, but each one only led to another. And what about Haru and Sheena Akira? How could they have so easily climbed the outside of the eighty stories of the Elbe housing complex? What was their story? Did they have a story? What if they were a part of the gang that Kagome was supposedly in?

Yusuke would be bald before the night was over, Kagome noticed. She had to start talking, but she didn't know where to begin. When he did pull out a bunch of his hair, though thankfully not a noticeably large clump, she sighed and scooted closer to him on the couch of their apartment. She needed a hug, but she wouldn't ask it. She just grasped his hands and held them so he would stop trying to yank out his hair in frustration.

She wished she could remember how she had made the rope that connected them, but it was made in a moment of desperation and she really didn't know how she did it. To procrastinate telling him the truth, she had tried to remove the invisible rope but it wouldn't budge. They were stuck fast together.

Haru and Sheena Akira had disappeared at the very moment that they landed safely on the roof, so neither Kagome nor Yusuke knew where they were. One second they had been there, the other they were gone. It made Kagome and Yusuke wonder about their original assumptions of whether or not they were really human or not.

"Yusuke, I'm sorry." she whispered to him and he looked at her. "I should never have lied."

"Tell me the truth." he looked thoughtful for a second before saying, "Oh, and I'm going to kick your ass just as promised for pulling a stunt like that." Kagome took a deep breath, and then another, and another, before realizing her breaths were getting shorter and more hastily taken. She was hyperventilating.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha! **


	69. Koenma's Father

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I don't have to own her in order to kill her. __

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Chapter sixtynine: Koenma's Father

Yusuke took Kagome in his arms and pulled her into his lap, cradling her there. He recalled when Keiko used to sit in his lap, just wanting to be held, but those days were over. Keiko would never be his because she couldn't trust him enough.

He felt Kagome's breathing even out and she fell asleep right there in his lap. He guessed the day must have been rather stressful for her, considering all that had happened. He groaned and let his head fall back on the couch. He would have to wait even longer?

He supposed he could. After all, he had already waited quite long, what was one more day? Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and nestled his nose in her hair. She smelled of perspiration and power. Truly she was an angel, from her pure power that he could feel wrapped around his wrist to sweat she had worked up just to use it.

He was glad she couldn't remove the rope, despite her apologies. Now she couldn't get away from him, could she? He wouldn't have to worry about her sneaking off to kill herself while he was sleeping.

Soon he too was forced to surrender to the blanket of sleep that wanted to encase him. He let it wrap around him slowly, but before he did, he shifted himself and Kagome so they were lying on the wide couch side by side.

Kagome, however, did not wake. Her breathing stopped completely. Emotional trauma—though part of that was self-inflicted—and lack of proper nutrition and hydration had killed her. Under normal circumstances, these two separately were not enough to kill a person, but as everything caught up on her, her heart was not able to continue beating.

**-Spirit World- **

He had known that she shouldn't have survived the emotional turn of events at age fifteen. She it was only catching up with her now. At the time, she hadn't had much time to ponder the things and to allow herself to recover from them, so they had just piled up until finally when she had a chance to speculate and observe herself and all that had happened, her body just shut down, too psychologically torn to continue ticking.

It hadn't been very difficult to find her soul. Her soul—accepting as she was—just sat calmly beside her body staring at the face of her sleeping cousin who was so unaware of how she had just died. She knew what had happened. How could she not when she was staring down at her body that was still tied to Yusuke's by the magic of an invisible rope made of magic.

Koenma sighed and stood from his desk. What he really wanted was his pacifier. He was so used to grinding his teeth when he was frustrated or nervous that the pacifier saved his teeth from being ruined. However, his mother felt it was indecent for a mature demon like him to be using a pacifier.

A growl of irritation escaped his throat as he thought of how his father and mother were still in the spirit world and yet they did nothing except annoy him. What were they waiting for? The world to end? Or did they just enjoy annoying him?

He walked around his desk, long slender fingers jamming into his pockets as he walked. It was time to find out the interest his father had in the girl who had just died. After all, his father was making all these exceptions to the rules for her, and making Koenma rule the spirit world in his absence. Oh, and should he forget to mention that his father was one of the ones who took Mitsuko away from him? Certainly not!

Koenma believed an explanation was well deserved. After looking through the documents that his father had kept, he had learned one thing: that his father would do anything for this girl and had. His father had made sure that Yusuke was brought to Koenma's attention when he died because otherwise Koenma would not have been the one to deal with the situation. His father had gone and given Kagome a second opposite when she shouldn't have had one. His father had gone out of his way to be sure the well through which Kagome traveled was kept up throughout the years.

There was a lot of explaining to be done. Especially since, according to the records, Kagome should have died several times over. Since she was dead now, she guessed something had occurred that his father had not planned for. A small smirk crossed his face. He had a bartering tool now. Even his father couldn't argue.

**-Elsewhere- **

Hardened gold colored eyes stared angrily at the brown eyes of his wife. He was beyond furious. She had yet again gone behind his back and done things that shouldn't have been done and now he was forced to correct her mistakes. The worst part was, the next five years would be very time sensitive and he absolutely had to make sure his attention was focused on a certain special girl.

"Where was I in this decision?" he yelled at her. He felt like backhanding her down, but he stayed his hand. She could see it twitching, though, and even she had the grace to feel nervous. She might have been over five hundred years older than him, but he had only gained in power since they met so long ago. She had stopped gaining power at some point, thereby becoming weaker than him as his power levels surpassed hers.

She had to get him to relax, she knew. She licked her lips nervously and stepped away from him a few steps, her mind working quickly to try to think of a way to calm her husband and mate down. "Now, dear," she started, but the look he gave her stopped her short. Such a look would freeze the fires of hell, she was sure.

"Never go behind my back again, woman." He snarled viciously, his muscles tensing and relaxing simultaneously. If all the rumors were true, then the ruler of the spirit world, King Enma, would have been a god. However, these rumors were false. The ruler of the spirit world was not a god because he could die. True gods were immortal, something he was not. He could die, just not of old age.

The rumors had started when he had passed the point of being able to die. When he had become so powerful that none could kill him no matter what they tried, and he only continued to gain power, the demon named Sesshoumaru, King of the Western Lands, was named a god and given the name King Enma.

His wife, a greedy, power-hungry blood crest demon wanted seemingly nothing more than to grate on his nerves. She had thought she would forever have a hold on him, but these days it just seemed that she didn't have that hold anymore. He ought to have chucked her to the garbage pile. Poison might work, he thought, but then recalled the blood crest was able to neutralize poisons of most kinds.

She gulped and backed up a few more steps as she saw his two hands clenching and unclenching, acid dripping from his fingertips to eat away at the floor. He was truly angry, she realized, because everything about him told her that she was going to have an awful time explaining her actions to him.

True, she had gone behind his back and arranged Koenma's marriage with the person who would bring her the most advantage and power. The decision should have been Sesshoumaru's, not hers. She was surprised he had yet to hit her for it, but then again he always stayed his hand didn't he? That thought brought her a little confidence.

"Father, I..." Sesshoumaru heard his son start, but then trail off. "...Is this a bad time?"

"No; your mother was just leaving." Sesshoumaru snarled. He glared at the woman with hatred in his eyes. The woman was absolute hell to live and put up with. She had made his life a misery for so many years. If he could, he would string her to a torture rack for a few centuries and let Lady Misery have her fun as the miseries did their job on his wife. Was that mean? Yes. Did he care? No.

She stood, narrowing her eyes at Sesshoumaru. "Need I remind you, dear husband that HER life is in my hands?" She brushed her soft blond hair over her shoulder and giggled a small laugh that made Koenma's spine shiver in fear. His mother was among those considered "gods" because she had so much power that none could manage to kill her.

"I said get out!" Sesshoumaru raised his first two fingers on his right hand with a small gap between them. "Unless you wish to lose your life here and now." She sniffed self-righteously before stalking out of the room, leaving a father and son to stare at the door she had exited, one looking bewildered, the other looking ready to lop the head off of something.

Finally, as the silence stretched in the room and her footsteps had faded, Koenma stalked the distance to his father's desk, tossing a rather thick file onto the surface of it. "Explain this to me." He felt no urge to fear his father's anger at the moment, and wondered if he had gone mad. His father could kill him easily, but at least his father wouldn't spank him anymore...hopefully. Without that fear of being spanked, he wondered if that helped at all towards not fearing the demon.

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**Who says I won't kill the main character? That's the best part!**


	70. Should Have Died

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: She's one of those who just won't die. It irritates me. I'm glad I don't own her, or I'd have to put up with her more often.__

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Chapter seventy: Should Have Died

Sesshoumaru turned his beautiful golden eyes onto his son and then turned them down towards the manila file on his desk. It looked ordinary enough, but from the star in the upper right corner, he knew it held the details concerning a certain special woman. "What about it?" he asked his son coldly, looking back at his son as he rested his hands on his desk, settling himself back in his chair.

"Explain to me why she is so important that you have broken every single one of the rules in place." Koenma demanded, settling himself in for a long discussion. He would not leave his father's side until he had the answers he wanted. His father had manipulated him for so long and he hadn't even realized it.

Sesshoumaru pushed the file away from him and placed his chin on his intertwined hands. "I do not answer to you, boy." His father murmured, so quietly that Koenma almost didn't hear it. "Remember that."

Koenma allowed the smirk grace his face that so wanted to appear. "You do now, father." He stated boldly, to be rewarded with a sharp glance from a furious dog-demon. "You've manipulated me, and I want to know why. Botan is at my command, not yours. That means if you don't want your girl thrown into the depths of hell, with no chance for return, you start answering."

A disgusted look came over Sesshoumaru's face. "Yes, you certainly are your mother's son," he snarled and took the file, rifling through it. It was filled with dates, times, and situations in which Kagome Lynn Akiko Higurashi should have died but didn't. She was deemed a miracle baby by her parents.

Kagome Lynn Akiko Higurashi was still-born, strangled by the umbilical cord in her mother's womb during labor. When she was four years old she fell into a pond and drown. She was hit by a car when she was six. She died in a fire at age seven. After the fire, she should have died in a bank robbery but her father took the bullets meant for her.

She was mugged at age twelve, stabbed six times and left for dead in an alleyway. Then, she should have died at age fifteen after being pulled through the well, but she never gave herself enough time to think about the things that had taken place, to recover from what had happened.

Each time she was revived by Koenma's father. Fate wanted her dead, so why was he forcing her to live? Not only that, but there were distinct people around her that Sesshoumaru was keeping an eye over, though the signs pointed to being sure Kagome stayed alive and well that these characters were still alive.

Kagome's cousin Yusuke died when he pushed a boy out of the way of a rampant car. Under ordinary circumstances, Yusuke would never have been brought to Koenma's attention. That decision would have gone to the Angel Sisters. Instead, Sesshoumaru had made sure the matter was deemed important enough that Koenma handled it directly.

According to the file, her family called her the miracle baby because she had so many 'close calls'. Koenma considered her more of a death cheater. She was clumsy, but lucky to have Sesshoumaru looking out for her or else she would have been dead many times over because of that clumsiness.

In the file, it told Koenma of the nickname she had given her "guardian angel", the man who she had seen after awaking from every one of her deaths. She called him Mokuhi, because he was so silent. Sesshoumaru never told her his name. He just revived her, held her in his arms for a moment, and then left her there.

For Koenma, some things were explained just by learning why his father lived in the human world. The girl was clearly someone very important, but the 'why' was yet to be determined. Koenma leaned against his father's desk with a frown plastered to his face. "Look, father. I'm not stupid. She is something important. I want to know what importance she holds."

Sesshoumaru stood from his desk. "She holds the balance of time in her hands." He told Koenma simply. "I need not tell you how sensitive this situation is with her traveling through a well to the feudal era, do I?" He walked around the desk and started for the door. Koenma followed, assuming his father was about to go to the human world.

"So you're telling me you don't have anything to do with her other than making sure the balance between two dimensions is kept stable?" Koenma asked skeptically. He jammed his hands back into his pockets and watched a portal open in the doorway. His father was one of the few people in the spirit world who were powerful enough to create a portal just about anywhere he wanted. His mother could do it as well. "You could have easily sent someone else to do the job, you know. You felt it personal enough to do yourself."

"Indeed I did." Sesshoumaru walked through the portal, his son following. "Why are you interested?" They soon found themselves in the human world, staring at the inside of Yusuke's apartment. Kagome's spirit sat on the floor, staring at her body and that of her cousin. Her spirit was crying.

They stood there, unnoticed for a moment to listen to her wails. Sesshoumaru felt his heart tearing apart at the sound, but as usual, he held himself firm to the spot. Koenma was less affected by the cries of Kagome, but he too felt a sort of loss because he could feel the peace and trust that radiated from her soul. Such an angel shouldn't be so sad, he thought.

He watched his father closely and saw his father's face soften for the first time. He hadn't thought a look other than hate or disdain would ever be in his father's eyes, but he was being proven wrong already. Whatever holds the girl had over him was clearly one to be congratulated.

"S-sorry, Yusuke... I d-didn't mean to... I s-swear to you... P-please, f-forgive m-me..." Kagome wailed and finally Sesshoumaru walked over to her, bending so he could place his hands on the agonized spirit and lift her up gently, one hand under the legs and the other wrapped around her back and waist. Koenma wondered what Sesshoumaru would do to cheat the process of reviving the body and the spirit at the same time.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	71. Mokuhi's Bite

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Um... I really am "disclaimer'ed out" right now. Welcome to chapter seventyone! I still don't own!__

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Chapter seventyone: Mokuhi's Bite

There had never been a time when he had disliked the fact that the Tenseiga had been broken all those years ago more than when he saw his elder sister die. She did it so often that sometimes he just wanted to cradle her as a spirit and allow her to stay that way but he couldn't. She had tasks to fulfill alive.

He watched Kagome curl up in his arms, sobbing against him. No tears emitted from her spirit, but the waves of sorrow that flew away from her body made Sesshoumaru want to cry for her. Finally, she seemed to realize that Sesshoumaru was there. She looked up at him, whimpering. "Mokuhi…" she said quietly as wrapped her arms around his neck. "Take me to heaven. Don't make me live again."

Sesshoumaru wanted to do just as she asked. He wanted to allow her the freedom from responsibility. He wanted to make all her pain go away. He noticed how she didn't even need to open her eyes to look at him in order to know it was him. He said not a word, as usual. There was so much he wanted to say to her, but he knew he couldn't.

He was thankful that Koenma was not saying anything. It would be a disaster, he was sure. He wondered what had made him allow her to call him such a name like Mokuhi instead of telling her who he really was. He was positive that if she took a moment to look at him, she would notice who he was. She would see him for the demon that she had lived beside for years.

She was a smart girl; she would figure it out. He also recognized why she had not realized already who he was. The last time she had seen him before she fell down the well was on her fourteenth birthday. She had practically died once a year since birth, sometimes even twice. Still, that large gap and with all that had happened in her fourteenth year, then falling through the well, she had always been too overloaded with thoughts and memories to contemplate her "silent guardian".

After a long moment, her wails stilled and he found he was able to release the breath he had not been aware he was holding. With the Tenseiga having been broken in the feudal era, he had been forced to find a way to revive her himself. After doing it nearly twenty times, possibly more, he had come to be rather fluent at the process.

He set her spirit on top of her body and it sunk into the flesh. Still, this was not enough to revive her. Her body needed some reinforcement; her heart needed some incentive to begin beating again, so he licked his suddenly dry lips and lengthened his canines into fangs. Biting into her neck right where he knew his wife had done so long ago, and where he had done several times in her life as a child, he felt her body convulse.

His hands moved to keep her still as he did it, but he could distinctly recall her being much easier to steady when she was a little girl. If he had known five hundred years previous what he knew then… he knew things would have been much different. People who had died never would have lost their lives, the Tenseiga would have never been broken, Tokijin would never have been shattered…

As usual, memories returned at the taste of her blood in his mouth. He replaced the blood with his venom just enough that would do the task of jumpstarting her heart again. At least she hadn't drowned again. Resurrecting her after that had been very difficult. He'd had to get the water out of her lungs before he could jumpstart her heart and that wasn't very easy with her unable to choke it up herself.

Her cousin being in the way proved to make it difficult for him as well. He didn't want to bump Yusuke and wake him. Despite the barriers that Sesshoumaru placed around himself so as not to be seen by ordinary mortals, he knew Yusuke—being of the same blood basically as Kagome—would be able to see him.

Finally her body settled and he moved back, licking his lips of the stray blood that had fallen to create an even fuller and redder sensation to his lips. She was slightly pale as was to be expected after just coming alive again, but he wasn't done with her yet. He had to make sure the child was alright.

He gently rested his head against her stomach, his ear picking up the faint sound of a heartbeat. His venom had done the trick and brought both of them safely to life again. He recalled bringing her to life after she had been strangled by her umbilical cord and then resurrecting her after she suffocated in her crib at age one. Her body had rejected his venom because it was poisonous and it wanted to kill her a second time.

After so many revivals, she had gained something of immunity to his poisons. It wouldn't kill her anymore. It wouldn't really make any sort of effect on her. One drop of his poison was enough to kill a two hundred pound muscle man. He smiled, because she had passed that immunity to her child. Her rather strangely conceived child.

But the child was alive. The spirit had not even had a chance to leave the body. Kagome's had left so quickly because she was accustomed to dying. It, apparently, came from years of practice; not that that was a good thing of course.

He watched her eyes flicker open to glance at him. "Sesshoumaru…" she whispered quietly. "Am I home?" She was dazed, as usual from just reviving. She thought she was back in the past, and he had no doubt that when she woke, she would think she had dreamt him.

Sesshoumaru stood to leave. Perhaps, he thought with much calmer emotions than before, he should explain things to Koenma? After all, he did manipulate him quite a bit and rather unrelentingly. Koenma's entire life had basically been shaped by Sesshoumaru and his mother. The only true thing he had created on his own was his love for someone he could not have… Mitsuko.

As he and Koenma returned to the spirit world, Sesshoumaru decided that now was not yet the time to explain to Koenma. Still, he had to have some sort of explanation. "I did not trust anyone else with the task." He told Koenma, referring to protecting Kagome.

Koenma's eyes sparkled deviously. "Then I will place someone to protect her that I trust. You can concentrate on other things." After all, if he was going to be forced to be with someone other than Mitsuko, the least he could do would be to make his father's life a miserable train wreck. If Kagome was something he found joy in, he would take that joy away as much as possible without destroying the balance of time.

Oh how he hated his father. The cold shoulder he had gotten over the years just for being his mother's son only served to make him angrier at his father. Whatever went on between the two, couldn't they learn to get along for their child's sake? Clearly not, or they would have done so already.

And Koenma knew his father could not object either; not without giving up more information than he obviously wanted to. He would have to say why she was endeared to him. His father was trapped between a rock and a hard place at this, and there was no back door out.

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**Fun thing: When you go to change chapters and click the down arrow... there's a scroll button! I love that! **


	72. The Truth

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Don't worry! There's more hell in store for her later on, and if there isn't, I'm sure I can make up some random torture to feed her. I'd have to say that she's GLAD I don't own her.__

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Chapter seventytwo: The Truth

**-Human World- **

Kagome woke, feeling far better than she had in years, which was not at all a figure of speech. She felt better than she had felt since falling down the wall. She thought of the vague memory of Mokuhi, and overlapped that memory with the face of Sesshoumaru.

She giggled and then shook her head, amused at her thoughts. There was no way Mokuhi could be Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru might consider her his "older sister", but she doubted he would have found her and protected her through her life, assuming he had lived that long, of course. Aside from that, Sesshoumaru certainly was no angel, so he couldn't be her Mokuhi.

Did demons live that long? She wondered. She knew they were practically impervious to old age and most sicknesses, which made it harder for them to die, but did they really live long endless lives? Kagome didn't know how they could stand it. To live, to grow, and never die unless killed. It seemed unfathomable.

When she giggled, Yusuke began to wake next to her on the couch and she realized how they were laying. She felt a blush creep to her face. Did Yusuke think she was some sort of teddy bear? She knew he didn't think anything romantic about her, but the state they were lying in seemed to suggest romantic implications.

She removed his hand from her right breast and pushed his face away from her left breast. She guessed such situations were best kept on the "DL", or down low in layman's terms. If he never knew about it, no one would get hurt. In her mind, that was the best way to keep a secret—never let anyone know it even happened.

Still, there were secrets that some people just had to get out, and that was where she had always come in. She had always been the one to be trusted with the secrets. She didn't tell secrets, she kept them. Ka had called her a Secret-Keeper for that reason, and to her after seeing Mokuhi again, she just felt as though the burden wasn't so much to hold.

Perhaps she had grown accustomed to seeing him so often that when she didn't see him, she felt as though the world was out of favor with her? She had always wondered why he was always there in life or death situations, but now was noticing his distinct absence on the other side of the well. Couldn't her silent angel follow her through the well? Where had he been when she was drowning in the Snake River?

A thought came to her; what if Mokuhi was the problem? She shook her head at that. Considering the Snake River and all the demons that wanted her dead in the past, Mokuhi's being there every time she almost died in the modern era of Japan proved he could only be her guardian angel. She decided to turn her thoughts elsewhere before her good mood—on a clearly sunny afternoon no less!—dissipated.

Kagome recalled Yusuke in the pink apron again and giggled, conceding to herself in her mind that she wanted to see him in it again. He had looked so adorable! Then she thought of the nameless boy in black and imagined the disgruntled crimson eyed boy in the pink apron and burst into so much laughter that Yusuke jerked up into a sitting position on the couch, ending up knocking Kagome right off the edge.

"Ow." Kagome muttered, her laughter stifled when her nose mashed into the carpeting. Her arm was awkwardly dragged back towards Yusuke, still being connected by her magic—which by the way she still had no clue how to control. She knew she really had to work on that, and soon. What about when she wanted to shower or go to the bathroom? Was she supposed to go with Yusuke sitting on the sink beside her? How embarrassing that wouldbe!

Yusuke looked at Kagome with an odd look in his eye. As she lifted her head to look at him, she couldn't tell whether to gauge his expression as irritation at being woken up, or relief that she was still there. She decided not to tell him about Mokuhi coming to see her. She wasn't sure how, but she knew that if Mokuhi was there, it meant that she had had a near death experience. Maybe he was late in coming to stop her from killing herself, or something, but she decided to keep it a secret.

"Are you okay?" he asked the girl, moving to help her up. She felt his strong arms, even strong after just waking, lift her easily back onto the couch where he deposited her and then curled up using her bosom as a pillow.

Needless to say, the spectrum eyed girl was rather embarrassed. Certainly she was glad to be of service, but to have her chest used as a pillow seemed a little over the line in that 'ask and I shall do' bit that she used to play as a child. Still, since he wasn't embarrassed, she calmed her flaming cheeks and nodded before realizing he couldn't hear her head rattle like a baby's toy. "I'm okay now. Thank you, Yusuke. Shall I explain the truth?" she questioned him.

Yusuke nodded. "I've been waiting."

She brought her hand up and ran it through his hair tenderly, smoothing out the askew locks. The hair gel had become useless after the hectic day yet it made his hair crunchy feeling instead of soapy feeling. She sighed, hoping he would keep an open mind. "You remember the well on Grandpa's shrine? The one we used to throw rocks down and spit our watermelon seeds in?"

Yusuke again nodded. His eyes stared at her stomach and his hand lifted the hem of her shirt to trace the markings there. They were shaped like lightning bolts and pointed towards her belly which was slightly bulging under her pants. What did the markings mean? Why did she chose those tattoos? Was there something significant? Had it hurt? How long did she have them?

That she had gotten pregnant, he found didn't matter. What mattered was whether or not the father had hurt his Kags in the process. If he had… well, Yusuke could certainly say without hesitation that the man would definitely be in a world of pain. He would see to it that the man was.

"Well, you know how clumsy I am?" Again she felt him nod against her chest. She continued to drag her hand through his hair. Her other hand rested against her lower abdomen, just below her pant line. "Well, on my fifteenth birthday, I was pulled down that well by… a centipede." She finished rather lamely.

Yusuke lifted his head to look at her skeptically. "Kagome," he drawled, "That's even more ridiculous than the last lie." He failed to notice the angry flush that crept to her face. Here she was, trying to tell him the truth and he was throwing it back at her!

"It's true! You can ask Grandpa, mom, or Souta! Souta saw it happen; he knows that it is the truth!" Kagome insisted, trying to stay calm and be rational, but it was so hard when he gave her the same skeptical look that Inuyasha often turned on her. If only she could yell 'sit' and make everything all better again! She couldn't even do that to Inuyasha anymore because he didn't wear the rosary. She was slightly glad about that, or else she might have ended up going and turning her frustration on him. She knew that it hurt Inuyasha to get 'sat' and generally with her kind nature, she didn't like to hurt him.

"Okay, so assuming this tiny bug somehow managed to grow to immense proportions, then what happened." Yusuke decided to just let her tell her story and hope it finally began to make sense. He was still very skeptical and was fairly sure she was trying to feed him a great load of something he preferred to call bull shit, but would be shortened to "BS" for censorship reasons.

Kagome cried her frustration and said, "It was a centipede demon! Didn't I just say that?" She was sure she had, so why was he being so difficult? He knew all Grandpa's stories just as much as she knew them. Yusuke's greatest subject in school—if he decided to attend—was history. He couldn't get into the advanced classes because he chose not to keep perfect attendance. He knew Grandpa believed in demons, so shouldn't he believe in them too?

Yusuke sat up, fully attentive at the word 'demon'. His eyes took on a hardened look as he turned to her, his body near straddling her. Could he just throttle her and make the words pop out of her mouth quicker? No, he had to wait for her to tell him, but she was so slow! So he had been right; there had been something wrong with the story she gave him, and the 'gang' she was with just had to be demons. "Speak woman! What happened next!" he demanded, anxious for the story. Inwardlyhe thought, No you didn't say demon the first time.

Kagome bit her lip, not sure if she liked the ferocious energies that Yusuke was displaying towards her. She knew it was not meant to be threatening, but he certainly was intimidating her. That only served to make her feel bad, because she was weak and easily scared. She should be strong and not easily frightened! She should have a stronger gut by now!

"Well, then I tapped a dormant power inside of me and severed an arm on the demon and was transported through a portal into the feudal era…" Slowly she told him the basics of her story. It would take too long for her to tell everything and she didn't want him to worry either so she primped the story to make it look like she was rarely in any danger.

The truth was, she wanted to go back and she was almost positive that Yusuke would try to stop her just like her mother. So she made light of the situation, while still telling the truth, promising herself that if he asked if she was in danger a lot, she would answer honestly.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	73. What She Looked For

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: A happy chapter. Oh how I dread it. I peeked ahead (yeah, that's right, I cheated, nyah!) and saw the next couple of chapters are pretty much like this one. All...bright and chippery. ...Yippee... I don't own.__

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Chapter seventythree: What She Looked For

It was so much easier to dance in the rain alone. Yusuke wouldn't go with her to the roof to dance in the rain. He said she had gotten sick enough and he wouldn't put his cousin or her child in danger. However, as she stared at the rain rolling down the window, she found she really wanted to do something to get away from Yusuke and dance as she would normally.

Yusuke was a great cousin, but a little too protective. He was trying to protect her from elements he had no control over. She just wanted to dance in the rain. Finally, though, she managed to focus on her homework and get some of it completed before Yusuke tossed the magazine he had been looking at on the coffee table and stand from the couch where they had been snuggled. "You hungry?" Yusuke questioned her.

She nodded and shoved her books off her lap onto the floor. She didn't care that the papers and pages of the text books were getting bent. It was math anyway, so in her mind deserved less respect than the woman who had broken Yusuke's heart. "Yes, please." She told him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he stood.

The added weight she created made him almost fall back onto the couch and she giggled. "I'm not that big, Yusuke." She insisted, her stomach bulging into his back as he piggybacked her to the kitchen. It had been a month since she had told him the truth and inside both of their heads burned the question of who or what Haru and Sheena Akira were that they could scale the outside of the Elbe housing complex, eighty floors up, to catch Kagome.

The question led to other questions such as how they knew Kagome would be falling in the first place, but the twins were no where to be found in the immediate vicinity. However, these questions seemed less important next to all the fun stuff she and Yusuke had been doing.

Yusuke had been teaching Kagome to lie without feeling the dangerous guilt that came with it, but it wasn't something she was having an easy time doing. Living with him also gave her the opportunity to learn to just be her self, to be rude when she wanted to, to like who she chose to an even further extent.

They had managed to somehow deal with being connected at the wrist for that month, and though Kagome tried constantly to tap that inner power, to undo whatever spell she had cast, she couldn't. She hoped they wouldn't be stuck together indefinitely. Still, even if they were stuck together for another day, or a week, or a month or however long it took, Kagome enjoyed her cousin's presence.

From the gentle way he would hold her at times when she was too busy delving into the past to do much else, yet firm so that she could not escape, to the way his hair always flopped in his eyes when he was just coming out of the shower made her know exactly what she wanted in a man. She would never tell anyone because they would undoubtedly think her incest, but she wanted someone like her cousin. Her cousin wasn't stupid; he just sometimes acted that way.

For all that month, Yusuke had allowed Kagome to drag him all over the place rather than hanging with his friends and making her uncomfortable. He was a sweetheart, and it was this that she loved about him. He cared for her, cooked for her, made her laugh, and helped her learn to be a normal woman again.

After trekking around the feudal era for so long, being a normal woman in the modern age was rather hard to grasp. Sure, she still remembered how to use the futuristic amenities that they didn't have in the past, but she was so used to hunting for meat if she wanted to eat it, or finding a village if she didn't want to sleep on the ground that it was difficult to remember every day that there was no one waiting around the next corner to jump out and demand the Jewel shards.

Yusuke plopped the giggling woman onto the counter, grinning at her before pressing her legs to the side so he could open the oven mitt drawer and take out the pink apron. He settled the pink apron on her body, tying it around her three month pregnant stomach and pulling the top over her head. "Aw, Yusuke, you can wear it. I won't tell anyone, I promise." Kagome pouted. He knew she enjoyed seeing him in it, but he wasn't going to give in to the cute pout-expression she gave him.

"You wish. I don't wear girl things." He told her, as stubborn as ever. She even loved his obstinate behavior, the cool, calm way he took things in strides and slid over lies the way an ice skater danced smoothly across the surface of the ice.

She giggled and kissed his cheek; the lip-gloss she had been wearing becoming speared there. "You do now." She laughed as his face scrunched up in mock disgust and he wiped his sleeve across his face, making false gagging sounds as he did so. "Oh you!" she chuckled, beaming brightly at him. He always knew just what to say to make her happy. That would be a definite thing to look for in a man.

"Wha'd'ya want t' eat?" He asked her semi-gruffly, turning his head and body away from her to look at the cupboards, opening them to shuffle through the foods inside. He found innumerable amounts of foodstuffs, which was courtesy of Kagome and him going to the store and picking up some things she had decided after much careful contemplation would be healthy for the baby.

"The baby wants chocolate covered strawberries and sweet wine, but unfortunately I already know you won't find any of that wine around." She sighed wistfully and recalled the sweet wine that she was privy to at Sesshoumaru's castle. She hadn't drank a lot of it, but she did get a small glass with her dinner meal. It had been very succinct, delicate, and easily had a good aftertaste. She missed them all very much.

"Aside from the fact that drinking is inopportunely unhealthy for the baby, Kags." Yusuke admonished her, a frown marring his brow. His bangs had fallen in his eyes because he hadn't gelled his head that day. He ran his hands through his hair, but it only flopped back down again. He didn't want to think of chocolate strawberries—they had been one of Keiko's favorite treats. Even after nearly four months, the inconvenient breakup still hurt.

"Yeah, I know. And it's raining out and we don't have the strawberries." Kagome agreed. She scooted over on the counter closer to him when the three feet of invisible magical rope between them pulled taut. She let a smile come over her face, "We could go get—"

"Out of the question." Yusuke grinned. "I'm not so easily fooled. Your main reason is wanting to go outside while it's pouring. What else do you think you might want?" He shuffled through the cupboards. He wasn't in any mood for specifics, he just wanted to eat. He really had no preferences when it came to food—that was where the pink apron came in. He enjoyed to cook, and well… he just wouldn't say why a _pink_ apron, specific in color.

"Ugh, so mean!" She threw her lip out in a pout again before noticing a box of Au Gratin tuna helper. "Ooh, can we have that, Yusuke?" she asked, pointing to it. The picture on the box looked really good and suddenly she had a feeling to eat tuna. Be damned if anyone got in between a pregnant woman and what she was hungry for.

"Sure," Yusuke said smartly, but inwardly groaned. He hated tuna. So perhaps he did have a preference? The last time he had eaten tuna, he had spent a lovely evening throwing up though he wasn't sure it was because of the tuna. All he knew was that since then, he'd had an affliction to the type of fish. "You want to help cook it?" he asked her, grinning when she paled.

"Ah… no. No thanks, dearest cousin. I'm…I'll just watch." She stammered. She was forced to acknowledge the fact that she was a horrible cook. After making the entire group, including Sesshoumaru, sick on her food, she had conceded her place as designated cooker and that chore was given up to someone else, varying on what night it was and who was in the mood to cook.

Yusuke laughed. "I should have you bake a cake for Mr. Akashi and Mr. Iwamoto. Serves those jerks!" He grinned and took down the box of tuna helper, searching through another cupboard for the tuna can.

"Yusuke, don't be rude!" Kagome waggled a finger at him as though he were a pup to be scolded for chewing a shoe. "Mr. Akashi and Mr. Iwamoto just need to get laid, that's all." She stated matter-of-factly. It didn't bother her quite as much to be so blunt, but it was a hard lesson to learn to not bite back what she really wanted to say.

Yusuke slipped at hearing his cousin say something so blunt. His head hit the cupboard and she was dragged to the floor, falling beside him on her knees. He cackled and she gave him one of his trade-mark smirks, only it was on her lips. "My god, that's even funnier coming out of your mouth!" She giggled and he beat his fist on the floor, laughing until his sides hurt.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	74. Tuna Dream

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Hehe... This chapter... amuses me... to no end... Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on which side of the spectrum you're on) I don't own most of the characters I am using. __

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Chapter seventyfour: Tuna Dream

It was another rainy day, spent indoors. Yusuke had made her walk under the umbrella, holding his arm around her waist firmly so she couldn't escape to allow herself to become drenched. Slowly the rain was turning to more slush than anything, the roads becoming slick with ice.

Because she was beginning to show more in her pregnancy, and her pants were hip-fitting more than anything, she had borrowed some of Yusuke's clothes and felt rather odd under the baggy clothes. Yusuke's shirt wanted to slip down sideways on her shoulder to expose her bra straps so she was constantly pulling it up again. Getting dressed and undressed wasn't all that hard. The magical rope seemed to have no problem letting the cloth slip through it like it wasn't even there.

That irked Kagome to no end that cloth would escape it but she could not. It was during math class that she was distracted most by the miserable weather outside. Sitting right next to the window, Yusuke in the chair behind her, she just wanted to jump through the glass and dance until Ryuichi came and stopped her.

Since he doubtless would not come to stop her, she was forced to restrain herself. But she wanted to feel the miserable tears of heaven rain down on her and cleanse her soul of all that was ungodly like desolation. Math really never was her subject and she seriously knew she needed help on it, but it was just so difficult to grasp.

That was why when it came to math class she found her attention wavering terribly and the rain outside was looking awfully nice. She smiled and sighed a bit, enjoying the view of the cold semi-snow falling down. The streets were doubtless a terrible mess because of it. She began humming the tune she had made up on her own, to praise the rain, completely forgetting she was in class and supposed to be paying attention.

"Rain, rain, falling down…" she hummed gently, her spectrum eyes constantly shifting eerily in the gloom, "Come and rest upon my crown." She couldn't finish her little tuneless song before she heard a loud whapping noise that was a ruler striking the top of her desk. She jumped and fell out of her seat, Yusuke sliding forward as she did so, his arm jutting out in her direction.

"Miss Higurashi, cease and desist that incessant racquet! I'm talking to you!" her math teacher yelled at her, startling her. Of course, she hadn't heard the math teacher say anything—she'd been too busy humming away while dazing haphazardly out the window. Still, Kagome felt that was no reason to startle her into falling out of her chair! That was why she had so many near death instances; because she was easily startled.

Her temper flaring, she glared up at the teacher, biting her tongue to keep it in check. It would not do to irritate the teacher, she was sure. When she was positive she had a hold on her emotions and what rude things she so desperately wanted to scream out, she bowed her head in acquiescence and said, "I'm very sorry, Mrs. Uchia."

The old crone scoffed at her and snapped, "What are you doing on the floor, Miss Higurashi?"

As the old lady glared down her nose at Kagome, the spectrum eyed girl bit back a retort that would have rather rudely pointed out Mrs. Uchia was the reason she was on the floor at that moment. She tried to convince herself that Mrs. Uchia was in the right, but she just couldn't do it. Perhaps she wasn't paying attention in class, but that hardly dignified such a response from the teacher as smacking a ruler on the desktop, honestly!

"Get up, girl, get up!" Mrs. Uchia demanded and Kagome climbed to her feet, wondering where Yusuke was at that moment that he wasn't protecting her, then immediately feeling bad for thinking he had to be there to protect her. Certainly she could handle it on her own, couldn't she?

Shuffling her feet and staring at the seat of her desk, Kagome heard Yusuke pipe up, sounding very angry. She winced at the sound of his tone—low and deadly. She recalled Inuyasha using that very same tone often when someone threatened a person who he cared for. She still found herself feeling bad that Yusuke had to defend her and that even verbally she couldn't find it in her to protect herself.

"You, old bat, shut up! You're the one who freaked her out in the first place!" he snarled, a trace of a threat weaving into his voice. "You come traipsing in here like you own the place and the people in it—"

"Yusuke, please," Kagome whispered, moving so she could tug his sleeve pleadingly. She didn't want to have him getting in trouble on her account. She wondered what he might be thinking of her that she was so weak she couldn't manage to defend herself. She couldn't bring herself to entertaining such visions in her mind either.

Supposedly she had faced down demons? Supposedly she had stood up to the Great Dog-Demon King Sesshoumaru? Where was all _that_ particular brand of bravery? Did she down it with her last cup of tea and urinate it all out later? Had she no courage? Of course she didn't! That was why she had died twenty-three times in her life already—or was it more? She had lost count long ago—and had a guardian angel who kept silent watch over her named Mokuhi.

The teacher smirked rather sinisterly at Yusuke and Kagome felt a frown crease her brow, the markings on her eyes twitching downward with the movement of her eyes narrowing. She knew something was wrong with the teacher, but what? Then, suddenly, Mrs. Uchia's face began to shift, her entire body forming a large tuna. Her hair became spindly noodles and her clothes became scales that looked freakish.

Kagome woke up in a cold sweat. The tuna teacher, the defense of Yusuke, all those thoughts, the slushy rain, it had all been a dream. There she was, safe in Yusuke's arms as they slept together, forced to do so by the will of the magical band that she somehow created but could not undo. That is the last time I eat tuna while pregnant, Kagome thought, wiping sweat from her brow.

She could hardly believe it was all a dream. She should have known it was a dream when Yusuke said 'traipsing' in her dreamscape though, because Yusuke would likely be caught dead before he said such a word. Of course, she had thought he would be caught dead before he wore a pink apron too but apparently he had no qualms against that—at least when he was alone. And the tuna teacher was a dead give-away.

Shifting to get more comfortable, she realized something that was different. She didn't feel the weight of the energy manacle that had been on her before. That was a relief at least. Smiling, she gently slipped out of his grip and he just turned over and slept on. She was free! Free at last from the idiocy of her own magic!

If she could have jumped for joy and whooped without waking Yusuke, she would have. As it was, she was raring to go outside and do something on her own. She went on silent feet towards the door, making as little noise as possible as she slid it open and shut again.

Once out, she was able to walk with a little less care towards her room to change from sweaty pajamas to a soft reddish pink skirt and a warm and rather baggy tee-shirt that was white in color, almost reaching completely down to where the hem of the skirt was. It was time for a trip to the roof, because she hadn't been there in a while and she needed to face it again, and apologize to herself for trying to commit suicide.

She didn't care how it had happened, she just cared that it had and now she was free. She assumed the spell must have been rather temporary, and she had no intent on redoing it to find out whether or not her speculations were true or false. Slipping her sandals on at the front door, she smiled and then left the apartment. Doubtless she would be back before Yusuke awoke, but if not he would probably realize she had gone to the roof.

When she reached the elevator, she pushed the up button and waited for the mechanical box to come up towards her. Soon it had done so and she was joyfully riding the silly contraption to the roof where she happily bound out towards the wide flat area. She spun in circles, laughing a melodious giggle before hearing a voice that she recognized all too well say, "Having fun?" The sound of the voice startled her and she slipped forward, tumbling to her hands and knees.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha! **


	75. Trust Crimson Eyes

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I love making Hiei embarrassed! But I don't own him.__

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Chapter seventyfive: Trust Crimson Eyes

Hiei stared down at the human with amusement shining clear in his crimson eyes. She was just the person he had come to see and when he had seen the elevator heading towards the roof of the building, he had immediately followed, using the stairs instead of worrying about which elevator to take.

He was sure the elevator heading towards the roof was her. In all his days spent on that roof, not another person had come up there so he had no reason to believe that had changed now. His speed allowed him to get there, but with all the stairs switching he had to do and the blocking of doors, he hadn't been able to get there before she had.

When he came, she had been dancing around, and he had watched her for a moment, amused to see her so eerily happy just at something as simple as a dance. When he had spoken, he really hadn't thought she would be so clumsy as to fall yet again. She should have realized he was there, but he guessed he had to give the woman credit for being the clumsiest person he had ever met before.

He wondered how she was still alive with how clumsy she was, but then shrugged it off. Honestly there were not many demons that would prey on a weak woman like her. Certainly there were some that might try it, but there were just as many humans who would do that to her as there were demons.

Looking down at her, he said—as usual, "It seems you make it a habit to fall over. Do you enjoy that, or are you just that clumsy?"

For an instant, he felt a pang of grief at the thought of something as trusting as her encountering a seductive and lusty demon. He wouldn't wish that on his worst enemy, much less the woman who trusted him—a demon and the "Forbidden Child"—yet knew not his name. She was a true conundrum. An enigma wrapped in a conundrum. Did she even realize he wasn't a human with color contacts?

"Hey! Would you stop startling me? I thought I was going to have a heart attack!" She yelled at him, pulling him from his thoughts and poking him in the chest while doing so. He hadn't even realized she had come upon him. That was strange... No one had ever snuck up on the demon before... And she was just a human!

"You can't blame me for your clumsiness." He argued reasonably. Still the humor shone in his eyes and it made her want to pull her hair out in frustration. Somehow, he managed to look like Inuyasha, Miroku, Sesshoumaru, and Kouga all rolled into one, and she didn't even know how this was even possible. "You've got no grace at all, and that is not my fault." Yes, definitely even a little of Naraku thrown into the package, she decided.

"Oh you!" she stammered, at a loss for a response. Finally she crossed her arms over her chest with her embarrassment and said, "You still owe me a lunch."

This invoked a chuckle out of her crimson eyed companion and she turned her eyes to stare down her nose at him. "I still don't make a habit of feeding idiots who cannot keep a hold of their food." He told her, looking up the six inches at her. It bothered him that he was so much shorter than everyone, but he would never admit to that. "So you're out of luck there."

Throwing her lip out in an undignified pout, she glared at him. "You're mean." She informed him, as if he hadn't known already. She already knew he wasn't mean. After all, how could he care so much for his sister if he was truly mean? She didn't think he could be evil, or at least not truly anyway. She got the feeling that she could feel his soul, and all she felt in it was sadness, grief, and inner turmoil. There was no malevolence that she could touch upon.

"I know. I go out of my way to be such." He responded with his usual air of cockiness. Eventually he guessed he would end up buying her the lost lunch, but—and he wasn't sure why—he wanted to keep it between them so she wouldn't shy away from him. What if she was play-acting? What if as soon as she got her payment, she wouldn't talk to him?

There was, in truth, no thoughts of love in Hiei's head over the woman before him. Such thoughts would be unthinkable. He was a demon, and she a human. Such relationships never worked, and he would grow tired of watching her age without him. Aside from that, if she ever found out of his demon heritage, of his third eye, of his body transformed, she would probably scream in fright and be chased the other way.

No, the thoughts in Hiei's head were of friendship. He wanted a friend, had never really allowed himself one, a companion to talk to and to trust. Sure, he had Kurama, but there was only so much a guy could talk to another guy about without sounding like he was complaining. With a girl, it was much different. They always found compassion in any emotion a man showed... or at least almost always.

He also couldn't talk to Yukina about some of his thoughts—most of them actually... Okay, he couldn't talk to Yukina about any of them considering he had yet to even tell her who he was... But then this woman came along, this trusting, sentimental, secretive woman and—he wasn't sure how it had happened—he found himself spilling to her only shortly after meeting her. Why had he done it?

Kagome rolled her eyes at him, finding it rather easy to act how she wanted around the demon in front of her. She supposed it was that combination of all her friend's traits she saw in him that made her feel so comfortable, but then realized she was not even that comfortable around her friends in the past. The short man before her had something about him that made her relax in his presence.

He made her relax more than she did even in Yusuke's presence, she realized with a slight start. That certainly was saying something, considering how close Yusuke and Kagome had become recently, plus as close as they had been while growing up together for the most part. Being joined at the wrists for a month with only three feet of space seemed to have a tendency to either make or break a relationship—it had made Kagome and Yusuke's.

Kagome smiled at the demon, taking his hand in hers and twining it with her own. "You're evil by nature." She teased him, a twinkle in her eye as she did so.

He nodded his agreement placidly before stopping abruptly to look at her with a sharp eye. "Wait..." He seemed to be thinking something over, his lips tightening in thought. "You're not supposed to agree with me!" He blurted, and she laughed.

"Dance with me!" she dragged at his arm, tugging him around. He seemed a bit miffed at the thought of dancing with her but she wouldn't let him get away. She grabbed his other arm and twisted her body this way and that, still keeping a firm grip on him.

Hiei could have gotten away, he knew, but again that stupid thing that had the gall to call itself his conscience got in the way. His rather complex honor code wouldn't let him just tear his arm away because he knew she would fall off balance. That, of course did nothing to save _him_ from tripping about after her rather awkwardly.

He was very glad there was no one in the direct vicinity to watch such an embarrassing sight. Did you ever see such a sight in your life, as Hiei being nice? He thought ironically, picturing the tune of the "Three Blind Mice" nursery rhyme in his head. Did she even know his name yet? Oh, the embarrassment! He groaned inwardly as his soft shoed feet stumbled on one of her sandals that had slipped from her feet.

He would kill anyone who walked in on the embarrassing scene, conscience or not. Already his cheeks were fastidiously blemished with what some people would consider a blush. Why wouldn't the ground swallow him up? Why were his stupid moral issues getting in the way of what he knew he should do? Why couldn't he just let the woman go, allow her to fall down and scrape a knee or an elbow?

Why the hell had he tortured himself by coming to find her in the first place? He'd kiss anyone who had the answer for him, he swore it—man or woman, human or demon, he'd kiss them for the answer all the same! Unfortunately, as was usually the case, the answer was one that he would find only inside himself because those same moral issues were getting in the way of asking!

Stupid woman and her stupid dancing... he thought, blushing terribly as she dragged him about.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha! **


	76. Never Have Fun

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Ryuichi is one of my favorite characters. Most of the other characters I don't own. Who is your favorite character of all the ones that I use?__

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Chapter seventysix: Never Have Fun

When Kagome tripped on her missing sandal, she ended up taking Hiei down with her, but she was laughing. Her enchanting voice made him want to laugh and he did... at her clumsiness. Of course he wasn't laughing at the fact that he had fun! What was he thinking? Surely he had been knocked about one to many times by the Paper Box.

Secretly, though, he knew that he had been having fun. Her hands had been warm, he smile had been sweet, her laughter melodious, and just everything about her welcomed him and encased him in a friendship he wasn't entirely sure that he deserved as the "Forbidden Child". She was entirely too nice, he decided. There was no possible way he couldn't have enjoyed himself in her presence.

The thought of the paper box drove his memory back to where it had to be. He had come to get her so she could help him solve the mystery of the Paper Box stealing the Jewel shards. It meant he would have to admit to taking them rather than slipping them back into her room, their presence being gone going unnoticed. Still, it would be better than keeping them, considering how annoying they were, constantly humming every night as though trying to call out to Kagome.

If he could have followed the humming sound, he would have. It would have been easy to follow if the sound wasn't coming at him from all angles. He did wonder if the shards were actually in the Paper Box or not, but he had searched everywhere in his apartment, he was sure! They had been on the desk, hadn't they?

Hiei was on his knees beside the laughing, prone woman. His knees ached a little from the rough landing, he would admit, but he could survive worse so it made no difference. Even Hiei wasn't immune to minor aches and bruises—he just wouldn't admit to that. He felt a smile cross his face that no matter how many years of stoic behavior he had had, he couldn't school his features back into that straight, no nonsense look he had before.

"You're happiness borders on ridiculous." He informed her. He was glad he hadn't worn his black cape that day, because he might have ended up as prone as her, tripping over its edges. No, that day he was garbed in just a gray—it had once been white, but...—tee-shirt and the usual black pants he favored, belted at the waist and tight at the ankles with everything else loose for free movement.

Kagome smiled up at him, taking in that his hair was stuck up like it was a flame again. The white bandana was covering his forehead, doubtlessly covering his third eye. She wondered if he was ashamed of the eye she had felt under the bandana when she kissed his forehead, but then realized he must not want to scare people, which was the reason why he kept it. "But you're happy too!" she stated, looking up from him from her position on her back on the ground.

His crimson eyes twinkled with mirth as he settled himself down beside her, crossing his legs like pretzels. She was an amazing woman, having enough happiness inside of her to share. Hiei generally did not smile, laugh, or do anything purely because he was glad. Now, she had changed everything, made him do things he hadn't known to be possible, but the strangest part was that this meeting was barely their fifth one.

"Come on, you can't possibly say you didn't have fun!" she argued when silence filled the air. She thought that by his silence, he was denying the fact that he enjoyed himself. He watched her irises, wondering why they were shifting like strange spectrums. She was a human, he could smell she was. But he was attracted to those spectrum eyes.

"Of course I can." He told her, having to force back a chuckle that wanted to come out at her miffed expression. "That's what being me is all about. I never have fun. Child's play." He crossed his arms over his chest arguably and turned his crimson eyes to the sky, counting down the seconds in his head until she exploded, biting back the broadest grin he had ever encountered. It was very hard.

"Child's play!" she exclaimed, sitting up abruptly to face him. "It is not child's play!" She scooted closer to him until she had moved her face directly into his vision. "You're... you're..." she stammered, words failing her in her irritation. How could one person get to her so much? She wondered. She vowed that she would get him to have fun.

"That's right, girl." He grinned up at her. "I don't waste my time." He continued, lowering his voice to a mere hiss in her ear. Inside, he was laughing at the irritation that she showed. Why was she getting so upset? He didn't know, but it made him wonder about her...

"Ugh, you're... impossible!" she stated finally.

"Thanks. I do try my hardest." He agreed, finally unable to hold back the laugh. It came out and she smiled knowingly then, realizing he had just been trying to—and achieving the goal—get a rise out of her.

**-Feudal Era- **

Sango curled up into a ball, fear emanating from her entire being as she saw Ryuichi approaching her. He was there for more of her skin, she knew, and she didn't want to be hurt anymore. Her entire body was filled with venom, not blood, and it was this venom which healed her wounds in a matter of days rather painfully, but did not leave a scar.

A whimper escaped her throat before she could stop it and she twisted away from his outreached hand, sliding back on the floor. How could he so calmly slice her body apart with nothing to affect the way he felt? Did he not feel her pain? Did she not matter? Was she another 'inconsequential', lost in the game of his kind?

She had been insane to agree. She had been insane to allow the torture he was inflicting upon her already bruised and battered soul. Death couldn't have sounded better at the moment, but when she had tried to kill herself, he had taken her weapons away.

Ryuichi almost winced when he smelled the fear coming from her. She had agreed hadn't she? But he actually felt bad that he had to do to her what the spell required. It required the skin of a human, and a lot of it. The skin had to match the human who would later be used to open the portal, and so he couldn't just go get any human's skin. He needed hers.

Kneeling down beside the bloody woman, he gripped her carefully. He knew she was very weakened by that time, but despite how much he disliked her, he couldn't just let her suffer like she was. He lengthened his fangs and bit into her neck, injecting more venom into her system. The potent substance began immediately to heal the wounds and within a matter of minutes she was back to normal.

She had tried to scream, but he had covered her mouth to keep her from deafening him. Then she became limp in his arms, her eyes staring at him blankly. He had injected too much of his venom into her because now she was under his control. She would obey all he asked, whether he asked her to chop off her own head with an ax, or if he asked her to willingly give herself to him.

He would not, however, take advantage of the position she was in. Once again, a month had passed. He smelled the sweet aroma of her cycle beginning. Why did she smell so inviting to him like no other before? He plugged his nose and covered his mouth in an attempt to stop the tantalizing scent from affecting him too much as he used his free hand to tie her up with his hair again.

It would not do to have her obey some random demon that found her. She would be better dead than following the orders of some strange demon, and he had no doubt she would prefer death over being helplessly commanded.

He tried to get a hold of his surging emotions. She was affecting him like no other had ever done. It was strange. But he couldn't leave her like she was, with no will of her own to defend herself. He sat at the entrance of the cave where the scent wasn't as bad, but his eyes still began to become tinged with red around the edges. Oh hell, why now? Why did he have to feel sorry for her now? He really was beginning to regret that and a cold bath had never sounded better.

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**I'm so happy! I got four reviews on Silent Protectors now! I might even upload four more chapters to this cause I got four reviews! Yay! Cheer for the sexy crazy!**


	77. Believing Nonsense

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Mysterious letter contents anyone? I own... nonsense.

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Chapter seventyseven: Believing Nonsense

**-Human World-**

**-Two Days Later-**

Kurama let out a sigh and dragged his legs in the sand beneath the swing, knowing he had to go home soon for another 'marriage proposal', yet not wanting to. A frown marred his brow as he looked up to the sky for answers. The clouds were gray and threatening rain, giving forth no explanation towards his predicament.

He forced back the scowl that wanted to show on his face, but couldn't help it from forming in his eyes. Why did his mother insist on arranging his marriage? Couldn't he have the freedom to choose on his own? His mother was bordering on viciously annoying. He was thinking of just having Koenma get him an apartment on his own and wondered why he had bothered to save her life.

Thinking these thoughts made him feel bad because he knew he cared for the woman. Both halves of him did. She was a good woman, just a little old fashioned on Shuichi's side, and a little too selfless on Youko's side. How could anyone care so much about another that they would see to the welfare of their child's future as well?

He kicked at the sand again and felt it get in his tennis shoe, feeling gritty against his un-socked foot. Kurama loved to wear tennis shoes without socks. It was a strange thing about him, but everyone had an embarrassing fetish, didn't they? He wiggled his toes, feeling the sand tickling and teasing his flesh.

He recalled Kagome Higurashi, Yusuke's cousin, and saving her from the Realm of Opposites. She had harnessed a power—dangerous and raw—to an extent he had never seen before. That flash of light had been more than just illumination. It had been pain for the shadow creature that had grasped her. It had been a deadly force.

The power was something he had not seen in many years; in fact since his childhood days he had not seen it. With the separation of the Demon and the Human worlds, the people who could tap that power had either died out or gone into hiding. She was untrained in using that power, and doubtless it was the reason she was still alive after being so badly injured in the Realm of Opposites.

He had seen her. He had watched her hanging out with her cousin often, and wondered many times if he should just approach her and ask her how she was doing. She never noticed him or said hello, so he had assumed she wanted to forget the Realm of Opposites and what had happened there. It was either that, or during her recovery she had blocked out what happened so didn't realize who he was.

Kurama lowered his head and let his long red hair cascade down to cover his face. He was ashamed that he had not stopped her from disappearing. Sure, she was born his enemy. He was a demon by nature, if not truly in body. The human body was just a loan until he found a way to release himself from the boy. Living with the boy wasn't a burden on him, but it was on the boy. Until he left the body and received new flesh to inherit, the boy would forever be forced to live a life of solitude.

Despite how much the boy's mother wanted it, Shuichi would not be able to marry whoever she picked out with Youko still living inside him. Youko and Shuichi had different preferences in what they looked for, and would have to agree to the girl simultaneously. Aside from that, the girl would have to know of both Youko and Shuichi, and agree with both of them, so their continuing on in the same body was not a smart idea.

Kurama wondered if there was a spell of some sort that would create a living flesh body replica of his old one. If there were, what would it take to create it? Would sacrifices be involved? Shuichi would never agree to a spell that involved the murder of another, even if it was for his own benefit. Come to think of it, neither would Youko. A sigh escaped his throat at the thought of how living with Shuichi had softened him.

"They say if you frown too much, your face will get stuck like that permanently." He heard a voice say from next to him, startling him out of his angry stupor. He looked over to find Yusuke settling himself on the swing just next to him.

He bit back the urge to roll his eyes at Yusuke. Was anyone really naïve enough to believe such nonsense? "And who, might I ask, is 'they'?" Kurama questioned as politely as possible. He looked around to see where Kagome was and found her to be missing—an unusual occurrence when Kurama had not seen the girl any farther than three feet from her cousin's side in the past month.

Yusuke shrugged, as though it didn't really matter but answered anyway with a quick blunt, "Kagome." Kurama should have known, he supposed. It sounded like something the trusting woman with mysterious great power would say. He could say this confidently, despite the fact that he didn't really know her.

Silence reigned between the two swing companions for a long moment and Kurama again hung his head so his hair hid his face. He continued to stare at his feet, shuffling them in the sand and collecting more of the grit in his shoes to play with his toes. Then, he sighed. Yusuke was there for something, he had no doubt. He had been avoiding Yusuke more than anyone lately, another of his reasons for not approaching Kagome, who never left Yusuke's side.

Kurama didn't want to admit he had not done his duty by Kagome and protected her when Koenma asked. He had frozen. Nothing in all his life could have prepared him for what he met in the Realm of Opposites. The silence had been captivating; it had eaten away at him slowly. He didn't know how Ku, his moronic opposite, could have stood living in that place. Did opposites really live, or were they really dead in some sense? "Did you need something, Yusuke?"

Yusuke looked at Kurama, taking note of how disheveled the usually perfect man was. Kurama generally took pride at maintaining a well-kept appearance despite the situation. They could have been about to die and he would still manage to look good. Today, he didn't wear his usual red uniform. Instead, he wore a pair of rather gaudy blue jeans with holes in the knees and torn ankles, ragged tennis shoes that looked to have less sole to them than a dead person had a soul, a dirt smudged orange tee-shirt that had tears all over it, and a purple flannel cover shirt that looked like it had been set on fire at the bottom.

From his green tennis shoes to his red hair, everything about him looked terrible. There were bags under Kurama's eyes, looking dark like someone had rubbed dirt there. His hair was just pulled back into a messy low ponytail, as though he just didn't want to deal with it, but then some of it had fallen out and that now covered his face. Nothing about him matched, and Kurama was usually one to match.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you all month, but situations had disallowed that." Yusuke scratched the back of his neck and looked at Kurama straight to the face. He knew what he was going to talk to Kurama about, but wondered if the best time wouldn't be to wait. Instead, he decided it would be best to just come out and state what he wanted to. "I just wanted to thank you, I guess."

Kurama looked up from his shoes to see Yusuke grinning sincerely at him. "For what?" he inquired curiously. Kurama couldn't recall doing anything right in the past four months since meeting his opposite. He had let things slip through his fingers again and again and it was really bothering him. He could still hear Kagome's screaming in his dreams as the demon squeezed her, digging its claws into her back.

Yusuke took an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Kurama. "My cousin wanted to thank you too, for protecting her. Thank you. She means... a lot." Yusuke shoved the envelope in Kurama's hand before getting off the swing and walking out of the park and away from Kurama. Kurama just stared openmouthed at Yusuke's back.

Where was the angry spirit detective now? That had to be an imposter! Kurama had expected at least a slug or two! Finally he managed to close his mouth before he began to look like too much of a gaping idiot and looked at the sealed envelope. It read "Nameless Savior" across the front in the most exquisite handwriting he had ever seen, including his mother's, and she had very good penmanship.

Nervous fingers began to open the envelope... What would it say?

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**This story needs more insistent reviewers... Oh well.**


	78. Off Guard

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Kurama whipping roses, Sango riding kittens. Evil demons sneaking up behind you, wearing your mittens! These are a few of my favorite things...! When Inuyasha bites! When the Saimyoushou sting! I simply remember my favorite things, and then I feel bad... because I don't own... them all! (Stroke of genius right here..).

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Chapter seventyeight: Off Guard

**-Feudal Era-**

Ryuichi rubbed the bump on his head that was consequence of the Hiraikotsu smashing down on him. That was most definitely the last time he fell asleep and allowed the human to roam freely. She had found her weapon, and of course he was the target of vengeance. Well, he supposed he could hardly blame her. She didn't like to be controllable.

Glaring up at the angry demon slayer, he rubbed his head some more and said, "I did it to stop your suffering, woman, be grateful!" He had grown entirely too accustomed to her if her movements did not wake him from his slumber. Or maybe it had been the dream he had been living in. He needed to go woo a member of the female species soon, before his hormones took hold of him.

Dreaming of sexual intercourse with a certain woman he was sharing a cave with was only one obvious sign of his horniness...

"That was because you're a pervert, not because of the torture I've been through!" Sango yelled. "This is for the torture!" She took the Hiraikotsu and brought it down on his head again. He felt his eyes spinning rather painfully at the crack she had just given him. "And this is for the control!" She brought it down again, and then not only his eyes were spinning.

Note to self: never make the demon slayer mad again, he thought just before the world became black and he slumped to the side. Despite how strong he was, he still ended up falling unconscious. Not even Miroku would have been able to withstand three cracks to the skull, though he did likely hold the record for the world's hardest skull.

Seeing the demon black out brought a sense of satisfaction to Sango. She wouldn't stoop so low as to finish him off while he was defenseless, but she would take advantage of his "time out" and gathered her things. She was grateful for the chance to bathe finally, and a break from Ryuichi was always a plus. She had a lot of mixed emotions to think through.

As she stumbled towards the lake she could see in the distance, about a mile away, she thought about what she had heard Ryuichi saying in his sleep. She had never known demons could dream, which was mostly why she was slightly offended to hear him crying out her name... or moaning would be more accurate... in his sleep.

Sure, Sango was no virgin. She didn't sleep with every man she came across, but she had her share of drunken encounters in her life growing up at the Demon Slayer's Village. Her people hadn't held up to the same handles as the rest of society did. She had never gotten pregnant, which made her assume herself to be barren. It offended her greatly to be asked to bear Miroku's child because she thought she couldn't even have one.

Still, she was no virgin and had encountered many men who wanted a one-night stand. She had also encountered many men who wanted a long-term relationship with her. She considered herself able to pick out and categorize men into these two categories, and Ryuichi was the type in her mind who just needed a quick rut so he could fully concentrate on whatever he wanted to do next without his hormones driving him.

She almost laughed as a thought hit her. Ryuichi was one of the few types of demons whose weakness was his hormones, especially if he hadn't privileged himself to intercourse recently. His body desired to be sated, and if his hormones were not obeyed, it would override his mind. This easily made him more dangerous, but Sango couldn't make herself worried over it no matter how much she thought about it. She could only laugh.

**-Elsewhere-**

Ryuichi groaned and sat up, his head pounding with a migraine. He looked around for Sango and groaned when he saw she was not there. "Don't tell me she's run off..." He stumbled to his feet off the animal furs that made up his bed in his humble abode. Did it look good on his part that he let his little victim get away?

He should have buried the Hiraikotsu. It would have saved him a lot of trouble. But no, against the better part of his judgment he had decided against it when he saw his mark, nearly polished off from years of cleaning and abuse, on the lower part of the bone boomerang. Sango was the little girl he had created the boomerang for.

He shook his head to clear it and groaned miserably when it ached even more. The bumps on his head throbbed so much he just wasn't sure whether his head was dented in, or if there was three odd growths on his noggin.

It made him angry that Sango had run off. The dirty trick she had pulled by hitting him over the head while he was sleeping and then again and again while he was slightly disoriented was very nasty. She needed to be taught her place, he decided. He should have done it long ago, but he had thought she would realize that he wasn't to be messed with.

Strapping on his two swords, he let the frown take over his face, as it wanted to. His pink eyes narrowed as he sniffed the air. Her scent was only a few hours old, which meant he had been out for likely an equal amount of time. Certainly he had to gift her for being strong. But now, she would have a furious demon on her tail. If she wanted to survive for the dirt she had pulled when he had thought he could trust her enough to let her wander while he napped, she would have to beg.

**-Elsewhere-**

Sango relaxed in the water, sitting in it in the shallows as she used special herbs she had found on the shoreline to scrub her demon slayer uniform. The guards she wore on her elbows, ankles, and round her waist was covered in blood and the uniform itself wasn't very pleasant either

Her toes were becoming as wrinkled as prunes and her fingers were cold. Her body was frigid and her lips slightly blue from sitting in the cold lake for quite some time, but she was glad to at least be clean for the most part. She didn't smell like her blood so much anymore, at least to her. She had no doubt that Ryuichi would find something to complain about and degrade her some more, but she supposed she was used to it. He had insulted her as a woman, a demon slayer, and a human for well over a month.

She wondered if that was how Kagome felt, constantly being berated by Inuyasha. She knew Inuyasha never really meant the things he said, but his tendency to stick his foot in his mouth took over more often than not and he would unconsciously degrade Kagome, telling her that she'd never amount to anything, that she'd never make it to being as good as Kikyou had been.

It made Sango so mad that Inuyasha would so casually compare Kagome to Kikyou. The two were completely different! There was nothing alike about them except perhaps in the shape of their faces... and okay, they did look something alike... but their personalities were a stark contrast to one another, Sango was sure!

Where Kikyou exuded a rather cold, standoffish personality, Kagome's personality was warm and welcoming, trusting. Kagome always had a smile ready and waiting, and Kikyou just seemed to wear a frown as often as Kagome smiled. They were just too different, and there was very little similar about them. Kikyou wore the burden of the Jewel of Four Souls, even after death. Kagome hardly showed her ache at the responsibility, and when she did, it was only in private or else never extended past her eyes.

Sango was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the soft trod of feet behind her, walking through the water towards her. She grew up in an era where danger was all around her... she should have known better!

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	79. Sickness

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own him. You know it would be immensely funny if I did kill him. Since he seems to be alive in the future, if he died in the past it would create a time distortion. Wouldn't that be rather awkward? Worried at all?

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Chapter seventynine: Sickness

The cold hiss in her ear made her stiffen and realize her mistake. Her weapons were over twenty feet away! Didn't demons mark their territory? Wasn't the lake still a part of Ryuichi's territory? Didn't he get offended when someone else walked into it? Oh, yes, now she remembered! She had rendered said demon unconscious.

Well, there went that idea. If only she could become invisible! Or maybe if she were lucky, the ground would swallow her up?

"Heh... A demon slayer?" Sango tensed as she heard the hungry edge in the demon's voice. Did it really matter what kind of demon it was? It was there, and she was out of luck. She had met the end of her road. There would be no vengeance against Naraku like she had thought. She had to face it; her vengeance had been mostly all she lived for. "Ignorant of you to leave your weapons, don't you think?"

She resigned herself to her fate. She should have known that she wouldn't survive to the final battle with Naraku, or even see Kagome again when Ryuichi had kidnapped her, feeding her false pretenses of being able to see her again. Ryuichi was just a sadistic bastard who wanted to see her in pain, and that was all he was.

Her lips cast out in anger as she realized she had hoped there was something better to Ryuichi. She had hoped that he was secretly like Sesshoumaru who displayed one side of himself to the world, but in secret, he had another softer side—a side like Sesshoumaru showed Seirra deep in the forest.

But no longer could she think this, could she? Then she recalled her hair was held up. She had put it up before entering the water...

**-Elsewhere-**

It was a war, most definitely. Sesshoumaru had never been bathed in so much blood and gore in his life, and he had definitely had quite the experience in being bloody through growing up. There he was, fighting beside his soldiers, and their numbers were quickly dropping. The Eastern Lands warriors had crossed the river, leaving Sesshoumaru forced to go meet them. They had marched upon the town fortress and used wood rams to break down the front gate.

His warriors and the townspeople had been put to the test there. Anyone who could was given armaments to fight with. Men, women, and children fought and died together, whether they were human, half-breed, or demon. Noble and commoner fought together and died for each other and their kingdom.

Sesshoumaru didn't want things to be the way they were. He didn't want to start his reign in blood. The Eastern Lands had attacked him when his position to the throne was yet unsteady. He could see the hesitation in the eyes of his soldiers. Inuyasha had been right! The worst place to have put the castle was where it was at that very moment.

He wasn't sure how, but some how his people had managed to retreat to the castle and the inner wall had been sealed with more magic than there was stone to make up the entire structure. It had held for a month, but they were running out of supplies to feed the thousands of people who were housed inside it. Sickness had settled in and slowly people were dying out.

A weary disease was making its way around the castle, taxing the strength of everyone who caught it. Magic kept the enemy out of the castle. Magic kept the enemy from scaling the wall to battle further. But magic could not keep the amount of dead from growing daily.

So it was that as he stood there, preparing to lob another cauldron of molten tar at the enemy from the catapults, another duty he never wished to be doing, he felt a terrible ache in his throat. As the cauldron was sent flying, he found it impossible to breathe and the sickness took hold of even him. In mere minutes he found himself encased in blackness, yet a lifting sensation told him his people were taking him to the infirmary.

Suffocation taught him the humble fear of death, but he doubted he would live to realize what he had learned.

**-Elsewhere-**

The sight before him chilled his blood and made him even angrier than he had been at Sango for leaving. He could only think, That demon is touching my little demon slayer! He had no clue why there came a possessive stream of thoughts through his head; perhaps it was the fact that he had not quenched his body's needs in so long, or maybe it was the fact that the situation just seemed so familiar, but either way those thoughts were there.

He walked forward, purposefully stepping heavily so his feet would make noise. His prey would not get away. No, not even begging would make Ryuichi show mercy on the demon. The demon begged for death through touching Sango.

As he swept his eyes over the scene once more, he took in the fact that Sango's weapons were on the shore in the grass where they would not get wet. Hadn't he warned Sango when she was young to never leave her weapon out of arms reach? A growl came to his throat. Did Sango even recall meeting him?

Anger tore through his gut, twisting into knots there. He could think of so many cruel deaths to give the demon, but he couldn't decide on which one would be best. Did he want to dismantle the demon limb by limb? Did he want to disembowel the disgusting creature and then shove its entrails down its throat?

He had no doubt he could do anything he wanted with ease. He hadn't lived for over two thousand human years for nothing, after all. His strength came from living so long, and his compassion for that which he found possession over was unrivaled by any other demon. He knew all this, and took pride in who he was, in who he considered himself to be.

Anyone who decided to mess with the demon named Ryuichi more often than not found themselves quickly meeting the grim reaper early. There were few who were rivals in comparison to Ryuichi. There were few who could match him. In fact, there was only one person who he found to be a rival, though he did speculate others could match him. There were three other people whose speed matched and beat his own, but his strength was far better.

Enraged bubble gum pink eyes swept the demon who had turned to him, Sango swinging in the demon's grip as the demon had her lifted off the ground to strangle her. She was naked from head to foot, as though she had been bathing. It only further angered Ryuichi that the demon had the audacity to invade a woman's privacy and take advantage of her at such a time when she could not defend herself equally.

It was one thing to win in a fair fight, but another entirely to take advantage of a helpless person. He smirked, the action belying the anger he felt welling terribly inside him. Two sharp pointed needles that could double as weapons held up Sango's hair. While she struggled to keep herself from suffocating, she grabbed one of those sticks and jammed it into the forearm of the demon before he realized the sticks were not just hair keeps.

Sango fell into the water with a splash. Ryuichi was proud of her. She wasn't completely defenseless! He knew the demon slayers had taught her something. "In case you did not take notice, you're standing in my lake." Ryuichi warned the demon, keeping one eye on Sango who steadily moved away from the demon. She had managed to keep the needle in her hand that she had stabbed the demon with and doubtless would use that to defend herself if she needed to. The other had fallen into the water.

"And I'm so bothered by this." The demon drawled carelessly.

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**That demon must die for talking back to my sexy Ryuichi! Ryuichi's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	80. Savior's Letter

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: More about my favorite Ryuichi is revealed... Yet do you yet know what type of demon he is? Hmm... Well, I own him, if not Kurama.

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Chapter eighty: Savior's Letter

Ryuichi noticed how young the demon seemed. The general air of cockiness came only with the young and generally got them sent to death sooner than planned. There had been several near death situations in Ryuichi's youth where he had almost died for having that same sure air about him.

It didn't matter what the demon looked like, Ryuichi thought, or what kind of demon it was. He was about to slaughter it. But first, he wanted to know what idiocy had brought the demon into his territory in the first place. Ryuichi had lived in the small area for longer than he could remember, and he could remember a very long time. The Eastern Land's king would not even dare to set foot on Ryuichi's property, which showed just how feared Ryuichi was.

His name was well known in the Eastern Lands. It was sadly less known in the Western Lands. Still, those who stumbled onto his territory generally were given a semi-warm welcome. Ryuichi watched over two villages on his territory, both being mainly human communities.

There were very few demons who dared set foot on his territory, and Ryuichi knew by name and face the ones who did. Those demons that did live in his territory, lived in the human villages and were mated to humans, requesting only a happily ever after. Ryuichi was firm in his handling of his territory. Fighting with the intent to kill was not acceptable. Murdering someone just because they were human or demon or half-breed was not acceptable.

Apparently the demon before him didn't realize that Ryuichi was about to end his life, but at least it did make Ryuichi realize he needed to check up on his villages again. He had done it two weeks previous, while Sango was unconscious, and they were flourishing with human and half-breed children playing "swords", and adults going about their daily duties. He had been greeted warmly, and was pleased to have felt no ill will in his people.

But this demon was a threat to his people, quite clearly. Ryuichi wouldn't let that threat escape. Because while Ryuichi found no qualms with embarrassing the demon slayer thoroughly, despite her being his "little slayer", but he still wouldn't kill her unjustly. Such would be unthinkable; even if she hadn't been the little girl he met years ago he wouldn't kill her without due cause.

"You should be bothered," Ryuichi told him, his anger rising further at the "genius" of the demon before him. The demon thought he could just get away with killing someone just because of the profession they were born into? Humiliation was one thing that could be recovered from; death was not. "This Ryuichi does not like your intrusive behavior."

The demon chuckled and faked a shiver. "Oh dear me, I'm quivering in my boots."

**-Human World-**

Kurama looked at the letter in his hand. He had been staring at it for the longest time, hesitant to open it. Yusuke knew, and did not attempt to beat him to a bloody pulp for Kurama's failure. He had seemingly just accepted it like it was nothing.

He wasn't sure if it was worse that Yusuke had just accepted the fact, or if it was worse that Kagome had found out who he was. Surely she would feel he had failed her? Surely she would bear him ill will because of his letting her just race off?

So he had opened the envelope, taken the letter out, but not read the letter or even unfolded it. He was rather apprehensive about doing so. Would it be a letter filled with anger? Would it be a letter filled with hatred? Was it filled with capital letters and exclamation points galore? Was it signed, "I hate you," instead of a pretty little signature block?

Taking a deep breath, he opened it, nervously shifting the sand in his shoes around. His eyes carefully read over the contents in the letter, not wanting to just skim the article. Even if it was an angry rant, he owed it to the girl to at least read it over carefully.

_Dear Nameless Savior-_

_I know it is doubtless very strange that I am writing to you, but  
__I felt it very important that I thank you for what you did for me.  
__Your bravery helped us to get out of the situation we were in  
__swiftly and for the most part, safely. _

_I do regret to say I was disoriented most of the time from many  
__unfortunate bumps to the head, so I never got to see your face  
__but I did see your long red hair and Yusuke said he knew right  
__away who had come to my rescue. I only hope he is right that  
__you are indeed my savior and not just an innocent bystander  
__who happened to look like the tentative description I gave my  
__cousin. If this is the case, I apologize in advance._

_As for the rest, please do not worry about my getting hurt and  
__then running off. It is not your fault, but my own. I seem to have  
__an uncanny tendency to run into more trouble than anyone else  
__I have come to be acquainted with. _

_I would like to meet you and thank you in person, if possible.  
__If you would please meet me at Café On The Corner tomorrow  
__afternoon, I would be most appreciative. Please do not worry  
__about bringing money, as the meal will be my treat. I have  
__come to be very fond of their ice cream sundaes! Strawberries  
__and chocolate, bananas and nuts, whipped topping and not to  
__mention the delicious little cherry on top!_

_If you already had plans and cannot meet me there, please  
__do not worry either. But If you can make it there, I will be  
__there at four o'clock PM. If we meet there, I will ask you  
__a question to be sure of who you are. After all, I did not  
__see your face, so I would want to make sure I am thanking  
__the correct person!_

_Hope to see you there!  
__Sincerely,  
__Kagome Higurashi_

Kurama read the letter over several times, hardly able to believe what he had read. Kagome wasn't condemning him either! Certainly that family was full of surprises. Yusuke always surprised him at every turn, so of course, he should have realized that his cousin would be just as shocking!

Why hadn't he realized that?

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	81. Miasma

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: He appears! Go Sango! I don't own either of them._

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Chapter eightyone: Miasma

**_-Feudal Era-_**

Slaughter was a simple thing for Ryuichi. He had absolutely no qualms against killing that which had greatly offended him. He didn't like the young demon before him. It had offended him worse than any he had met because of its brash behavior. Normally if a demon came onto his land, they realized ahead of time who they were dealing with.

This demon didn't even flinch when Ryuichi had said his name and gave him the initial warning. At that time, the demon should have been on his knees begging for mercy, but he wasn't. He was standing just a few feet from Sango as though he owned the place—which he did not!

Irate that he was being ignored for the most part as the demon stalked over to Sango preparing to attack her again, Ryuichi prepared to take action. It didn't matter why the demon was on his territory as much anymore. It mattered that the situation was handled, the demon slain, and Sango safe. He would not risk losing Sango, especially after going to such great lengths to kidnap her in the first place!

Ryuichi kicked Sango's boomerang up towards him, grabbing it by the strap before slinging it at the demon before it could get too close to Sango. He fully expected the hazardous weapon to slice right through the demon, but it didn't. The weapon shattered on the demon as though the fist of an ogre had smashed it.

Ryuichi's eyes widened marginally. He couldn't believe the weapon had failed, and Sango looked rather shocked as well. Her weapon had never failed before! Clearly there was something amiss because Ryuichi had never come across any type of demon with skin hard enough to not only reflect the bone boomerang, but also shatter it into hundreds of tiny pieces.

The demon glanced at Ryuichi and laughed cruelly. "Surprised?" He asked and Ryuichi fisted his hands, testing the air. He wanted to know what type of demon he was facing all of a sudden, but he just couldn't identify it. There were traces of many hundreds of demons all in one, making it difficult to classify.

"Who are you?" Sango choked out, rubbing her neck with one hand, yet still managing to stay guard. She was embarrassed to have been caught off guard in the lake, but not enough that she wouldn't take care of herself. Safety before modesty, as her mother used to say.

The demon continued wading towards Sango, not at all seeming perturbed that he left Ryuichi the ability to attack at his back openly. Ryuichi cracked his knuckles, the sound ostensibly loud in the area where silence most wanted to reign. The only other sound was that of the wind and the demon and Sango's movements in the water. The gentle breeze was soundless as it dragged at the clothes and hair of those present.

Even the birds had stopped chirping as though they sensed a fight about to get underway and not wanting to be noticed and caught up in danger. Already Ryuichi could feel the beginnings of worry lacing his belly. Perhaps he had mistaken the demon's carelessness for naivety. Now he was given to believe that the demon might have purposely done so.

The pieces of the Hiraikotsu sunk into the water around the demon, giving Sango a feeling of dread as she continued to back away. The demon looked at her with a maniacal gleam in his eyes. "I think you know already, demon slayer." He whispered, but he was heard clearly by both the human and Ryuichi and this he knew.

Sango's eyes widened marginally as she recognized Naraku's spying Saimyoushou, the bee-like creatures, in the air. Anger spiked through her and she suddenly found no care if she died or not. The man himself was standing before her! She knew it was he. It was Naraku who had bewitched her brother for so long. No, he wasn't even a man because he couldn't redeem the mistakes he had made.

"Ah ah." He chuckled. "Do you like my new form? No longer am I attached to the human heart. Killing that heart will not kill me. Now tell me where the priestess is who traveled with you!" His hand extended out away from his body grasped her up and ripped her up into the air, once more choking her. His eyes were murderous crimson, his hair danced around his face in the gentle breeze.

Sango felt all the hatred she bore towards him come barreling out as the arm retracted, bringing her closer to his body. "She's dead." She spat out viciously, wheezing to get in a breath through her air passages.

Ryuichi had frozen. The priestess who traveled with Sango was Kagome, wasn't it? Or had there been another? No, he was sure there was no other! Why was this demon searching for Kagome? And who was the demon? He wanted to attack the demon, to kill it for its trespass, but curiosity kept his movements still. He wanted to know just who it was that could have skin so strong the bone boomerang broke on it.

"Don't lie to me, wench." Naraku smiled at Sango eerily and she felt a shiver course through her. "I can tell she is still alive. Where is the Priestess Kagome?"

Sango gripped the long needle in her hand. It hadn't shattered like the boomerang. She grinned; thanking the heavens she had them. Despite being half strangled, her arm flicked out towards the red-eyed demon and the needle pierced his chest cavity. He looked shocked for a moment and his grip loosened.

Sango felt it was far too easy. Even demons had a heart that—if pierced—killed them. The only thing was that they didn't have the sentimental human emotions that often came with humanity. She twisted out of his grip, falling back into the water, then kicked her foot out and helped him drop into the water on his back.

A burst of miasma would have killed her as it streamed forth from the water if Ryuichi hadn't taken action. He rushed forward and grabbed Sango, dragging her under water as the miasma poisoned the air.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	82. Open Vent

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Nice apartment... could use a bit of work, yah think?I don't own him.

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Chapter eightytwo: Open Vent

**-Human World-**

He had invited her to his apartment after telling her he had some of her things. He didn't delve into what things he had of hers or how he came across having them, just that she should come get them. After explaining to Yusuke the situation and Yusuke had talked to the nameless boy by himself, her cousin had agreed that she could go with him and get her things.

Her eyes scanned the apartment, taking in every detail. The living room doubled as a bedroom and a kitchen, the floor taking on a transition from carpet to tiling somewhere halfway between two walls. The tiles were rather gaudy tangerines color in both the bathroom and the kitchen, and the carpeting in the apartment was a light, ragged material that was stained in several places as though someone had thrown dark ink all over in a tantrum.

The kitchen countertops were made of unfinished wood, carrying the weight of what looked to be years of abuse from the cooking knife. The wallpaper—an ugly greenish yellow in both bathroom and the main room—was peeling and faded, needing to be redone.

Despite this, the apartment appeared to be clean. The bed was made and the laundry basket top fit on the bin unlike Kagome's bed that was rarely made, and the constant state of overflow that was her laundry basket on its best day. The dishes were for the most part done aside from a small cooking pot, two bowls, and two spoons.

Seeing the two sets of eating utensils dirty made her blush and wonder if she was intruding into Hiei's personal life, even if she was assumedly only there for whatever things he said he had of hers. She wondered if he had a girlfriend who had used the second bowl... or what if it wasn't a girl, but a guy? This only made her blush further, especially with Hiei over in the corner of the room taking his shirt off to change.

As they had been walking to Hiei's apartment, someone who had been in a hurry to get somewhere with a cup of coffee in their hand had run into Hiei, spilling all over him. She blushed at seeing the tense muscles of his back, turning her head away to observe something other than his finely toned upper body as he turned towards her.

She busied herself with staring at a rather interesting bit of wallpaper that was peeling away from the wall next to where she stood. It was very interesting.

Hiei looked at Kagome, wondering why she was blushing as he pulled down the hem of the black tee shirt he had chosen from his drawer so he wouldn't have to wear the coffee stained other one. He was rather peeved that some idiot had just decided to spill all over him. He wasn't that short that he wasn't noticed in the street, was he? That was rather annoying... the height thing...

Finally he decided to just get it over with. He bent down and dug under his dresser, pulling out a backpack. "Here's most of your stuff. One thing is missing though. When I heard you went missing and the police were going to search your room, I thought it would be rather awkward if they found incriminating evidence against you, so I searched your room before they could." He explained, tossing the pack onto his perfectly made bed.

Kagome smiled. "You didn't have to do that." She told him, though she knew it would have been rather weird if someone had found the poisonous herbs she held. "Were you the one who took the shards then?" She hoped he was, yet didn't look at him at the moment. Her cheeks were still flaming from seeing him half naked, even if it wasn't that big of a deal. She'd seen several hundreds of men that way before while helping Sango and Miroku treat wounds of Naraku's victims.

Hiei nodded, but when he saw she didn't appear to be intent on looking at him any time soon, said, "Yeah. But..."

She felt her blood run cold at the exceptionally long pause. Did he intend to keep them? How would she get them back if he did choose to? Thoughts ran through her head, all of them trying to understand how she had misjudged the demon before her so much. The blush disappeared and instead the blood faded from her face, making her look rather pale.

"But you wish to keep them?" she asked stiffly, wishing she hadn't declined Yusuke's offer for him to come, then immediately feeing bad because she thought she needed protection constantly. Couldn't she for once have the feeling inside her of confidence? Couldn't she for once believe that she could take care of herself?

Hiei's eyes widened and he could have sworn he felt pure terror race through him. One more night listening to that horrid humming and he swore he would have gone mad! It was worse than dealing with the Paper Box encasing him! It was worse than fighting off the most fearsome demon of all time! It was even worse than it would have been to live through his childhood again and again in endless continuation!

"No, take the damn things!" He couldn't help it. His voice became squeakier than a mouse's. If he were Scooby Doo, he would have jumped into Shaggy's arms at the thought as though it were a ghost in front of him. Kagome blinked and looked at him, seeing him slowly backing away until he realized what he was doing and stood his ground. "It's just that I kind of misplaced them."

A smile crept across her face and she said, "Oh, well where did you have them last?" She couldn't have said how relieved she was. She had known there was no ill will in the demon before her. If he was evil, certainly he would have just let her fall instead of hanging onto her hand while she dragged him about, dancing with him on the roof of the Elbe housing complex. She looked about the room for the jar, scanning it with her eyes even if she didn't move.

"They were on my desk. I've looked everywhere—what are you doing?" he questioned, seeing her walk over to the desk to search the desk. She noticed how neat and orderly the desk was and could immediately tell they weren't on the top of the desk. She got on her hands and knees, bending to look under the desk incase they might possibly have fallen off.

"I'm looking for the shards, of course." Her eyes scanned the floor for them, but there was nothing under the desk. She saw a rather dark area on the carpeting that looked like a hole big enough to house the jar they had been in and reached for it to feel inside of it, realizing what she had found was an uncovered vent.

She sighed. It was entirely too easy. Something had happened, they fell off the back of the desk perhaps because of the thing that happened, and fell into the vent. Well, it was just speculation, of course. "Where does the cover to this vent lead?" she asked him. "Because if you looked everywhere else and couldn't find them, maybe they fell down it?"

Hiei grimaced. "I'd guess considering most of the vents in this place are connected, it would have landed in the vent to the ceiling of my downstairs neighbor if they did fall down there." He would have preferred the shards to be in the Paper Box to going to see the downstairs "neighbors". Entirely too cheery they were. Hell, he would have preferred letting Kuwabara beat him up in front of a large crowd of people over visiting the downstairs neighbors!

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	83. Treasure Cave

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Heh... naked in his arms. I own him, not her. Welcome back Ryukotsusei and Iridescent Twilight, my fellow perverts... __

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Chapter eightythree: Treasure Cave

**-Feudal Era-**

Sango struggled to get out of Ryuichi's grip. He held her under water with his arms wrapped around her, keeping her arms pinned to her side. She kicked her feet, trying to get away from him and his strong grip. Was he trying to drown her?

She glared at him, her breasts pressed against his chest, but he just smirked at her as though to say _need air?_ Oh, if she could just kick him where it would count, she would, but she couldn't get free enough to do so, and couldn't move her leg through the heavy liquid that was the bottom of the lake fast enough to actually cause damage if she managed to somehow knee him.

She was rather uncomfortable with the situation, not only because she was fast running out of air but also because she was naked in the arms of her enemy. Her hatred of him went up a notch and she swore she would kill him very soon. First though, she would use him to get to Kagome.

Sango snapped her eyes shut when they began to burn. The poisonous miasma was spreading through the lake, clearly a potent enough substance to pollute the water source. Her skin was burning as Naraku's miasma spread further. She felt herself being released and peaked one eye open to look at Ryuichi.

Ryuichi motioned to a deeper part of the lake and she wondered if he was nuts. She wouldn't survive much longer under water! Of course, logically, she wouldn't survive above water until the miasma dispersed either. It was because of this that Sango found she had been fooled. It hadn't been Naraku. It had been another of his puppets, filled with miasma but built strong enough to break the bone boomerang. Naraku had come to kill her while she was away from the others, undoubtedly.

It did give Sango at least some hope, because that meant Naraku thought of their entire group as enough of a threat that he had to get rid of them one by one. Deciding to put her faith, rather haphazardly, in Ryuichi, she followed him deeper into the depths of the lake, swimming as quickly as she could until her muscles began to burn with the strain. The quickly spreading miasma bit at her toes, searing the flesh rather painfully. It gave her incentive to move faster.

She saw what Ryuichi was leading her to before they got there. A cave looking thing that she hoped led to some sort of air pocket was carved into the rock that formed the base of the water formation. Her vision began to get fuzzy around the edges, but Ryuichi came back to her and grabbed her around the waist and just continued going. She needed air.

A few moments later, Sango found herself coughing up water that she had sucked in. The underwater pocket was huge, filled with treasures she had never seen before. Ryuichi was dripping water next to her, glaring down at her as though she were weak, and she was. She couldn't hold it until they made it to the pocket. A desperate need for air had made her breath in the water.

She was surprised when instead of receiving a scathing remark from the pink haired demon, she was awarded with a sigh and the sound of wet cloth being undone. Looking up, she saw Ryuichi was taking his haori off. He wrung it out and handed it to her, and she noticed he didn't wear the second layer underneath it like most people did. His muscles gleamed in the odd light that was reflecting in the strange underwater cave with the water dripping down it.

She blushed and took the offer, muttering a 'thank-you' that she knew he heard. "Don't bother giving it back until you wash it." He said gruffly to make what he had done seem less like a kind act, turning away to cover a small blush on his cheeks. He began walking towards the back of the cave.

Really, I'm over two thousand years old! He berated himself in his mind. I've been through the motions so many times it's not even funny! Why the fuck am I disturbed and embarrassed suddenly to see her naked flesh? I've seen it nearly every day the past month!

Sango pulled it on and tied it shut using the sash. The blush still graced her face, but for once she was forced to wonder if Ryuichi was truly so bad as she thought. Devoted, maybe, but perhaps not unredeemable. That single act showed her that he was somewhat like Inuyasha. He had a heart, at least. He had a warm and compassionate heart that he did not show to everyone.

But I still hate him! She thought viciously. Even if he does look luscious and wanting with his body dripping water, his muscles rippling with tension in his every move...what am I thinking? He's a jerk! Keep a cool head, Sango. It's been a long few months. Just remember, Miroku's waiting for you. He's not flirting with the kitchen maids at the castle... oh who am I kidding, he probably is! That lecherous monk!

Never once through all these thoughts did she realize she too had a small streak of perverted thoughts in her. She really should stop thinking. Doing so could get her into trouble.

Especially with her companion being Ryuichi. Ryuichi could smell as her arousal flared, and then suddenly dropped, her scent taking on mild depression. Then, suddenly he scented anger in the air and wondered what she could have been thinking about. Probably the monk, he realized. She probably did want to be back in the arms of her lover.

Well, too damn bad. Ryuichi had already put in a month of work in her. He wouldn't be set back even further than this strange demon put them. If Sango hadn't been stupid and run off, he couldn't help but feel she would never have been in that situation. There would have been no chance of her getting hurt without due cause.

"Who was that demon?" Ryuichi asked, tearing Sango from her vivid thoughts, which had taken a turn from thinking of beating Miroku over the head if he had been his lecherous self to blushing over Ryuichi's body again. She would have to work on that. She couldn't go around thinking of the enemy's body as though it were available to her!

"An incarnation of Naraku; or at least I'm pretty sure that's what it was. Otherwise it was one of his clay puppets." She replied. When Ryuichi asked no more, she gave forth no more. She wouldn't let Ryuichi get involved in her revenge because the demon could doubtless do whatever he liked.

But the Hiraikotsu being broken bothered her beyond reason. Her father had given it to her. He had said he would get her a weapon, and he did. She had woken up with it beside her. Well, she had assumed it was her father at least, for who else could it have been? She had no imaginary benefactor. How had Naraku managed to make a clay puppet, or an incarnation, able to withstand the bone boomerang, and what purpose could it have served to do such?

Sure the bone versus the metal needles, it was obvious to her at that moment which would fail and which would likely not. The double metal weapons were created to both look nice as hair assistants, but have deadly force if used as a weapon. Yes, she was definitely grateful to have still had those in her hair.

But was whatever that thing had been dead?

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	84. Spicy Dumplings

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: BURN YOUR TONGUE! I don't own them._

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Chapter eightyfour: Spicy Dumplings

**-Human World-**

Kagome stood and moved to the edge of the desk. "Come help me move this?" she asked, giving Hiei a warm smile. He sighed and walked over to help her, forcing her to roll her eyes at him irritably. "It's not like I'm asking you to lay your head on a chopping block, mister." She told him.

Hiei glared at her. "You might as well be." But he did it anyway, moving to the other side of the desk. He could have moved it by himself, but he didn't want to alert her to the fact that his eyes might actually be naturally colored red. Her eyes still stumped him. He swore when he first met her, they had been blue. But when he thought about it, the first day he met her they were blue, and the second they were green.

Kagome almost thought she would throw her back out lifting the heavy desk but soon they had moved it a few feet towards the center of the room. "Well, I'm about ready for a nap." She joked, managing to get a tiny grin from Hiei. She walked over to the vent and looked down into it for a moment before bending over it to peer closer. She saw absolute darkness down there. Didn't that just figure?

"Is it down there?" Hiei asked, only to be rewarded with silence. He guessed she couldn't see anything when she stuck her hand into the vent. She got her hand as far down as her elbow before pulling it back up. Dirt and grime covered her hand.

She grimaced. "Yuck. Dust bunnies."

**-Half Hour Later-**

Hiei groaned. It had to be the stupidest idea he had ever heard. Really, women were among the most creative idiots known to man. Of course, if he really thought about it, the idea was slightly ingenious if on a madness scale.

He glared at Kagome out of the corner of his eye. She was really into the entire 'stage act' as she had called it. Of course, she was acting disgustingly cheerful, and that ghastly happiness was rubbing off on him quickly. How could he be his gloomy old self if the woman was wearing off on him? Dang her!

"Cheer up, mister." She nudged him with her elbow as she wrapped her arm through his. She had thankfully washed that arm. Vent dust and grime wasn't something he felt looked good on his black clothing. He had taken to noticing she called him 'mister' since she didn't know his name yet. He thought about telling her his name, but then discarded the idea for a later date. "Knock on the door. It's polite."

He glared at her full bore. "You don't have to act out here." He hissed. Ugh, she was taking this far too seriously! He took back all thoughts of anything being better than listening to the humming of the shards. He'd gladly listen to the shards; just get him away from the trusting woman who had conned him into going to visit his downstairs neighbors!

"I'm not acting." She blinked at him. "You really do need to cheer up. Fine, I'll knock." Her fist came up and she tapped gently on the wood door. The door flew open before she could knock a second time, seemingly as though someone had been just waiting for the initial knock, and even the polite Kagome had a hard time to keep from gagging.

The face that stood in the doorway was ten times worse than Mimi from the show Drew Carey. She had more makeup on than there was poison in the Snake River. "Dearest neighbor from the upstairs!" she greeted Hiei, but her eyes were on Kagome, sweeping Kagome up and down speculatively.

Even Kagome couldn't keep from shifting uncomfortably under the inductive stare she was being given. Still, she forced on a bright smile and said, "Hello! Sorry to intrude, but—"

"Oh my dear, you must both come in for some tea! I've got dumplings too!" Before Kagome or Hiei knew what had happened, they were being dragged by the cheery, makeup splashed woman into the kitchen of her apartment where they were forced to sit down at a low table on their knees. They were served dumplings and tea and cookies, and out of polite favor, they were forced to eat it, despite the woman was a worse cook than Kagome. After all, if they didn't, they might not get to search the vent like they intended.

They had thoroughly searched the rest of the apartment, and Hiei had all but begged her not to make him go visit the neighbor, but unfortunately Kagome wouldn't allow him to stay behind. She had pulled out the puppy eyes on him and he had caved—though he couldn't understand why yet. It was a puzzle...

"Oh it was just a lovely vacation! Let me tell you! Do you want to see my son's baby pictures?" Kagome wondered if the woman ever got out of the house or not as she choked down the tea. It tasted more like tar, accented with a hint of cigar ashes. A quick glance at Hiei told her all she needed to know. His eyes were watering as he forced his shaking hand to put some of the heavily spiced dumpling in his mouth.

Yes... it was very spicy. The fire demon was having trouble dealing with 'hot'.

"Oh, aren't those the best dumplings? Six ounces of Tabasco sauce or at least close to it anyway. I just took an eight-ounce glass and filled it almost full. Oh, and not to forget the chili pepper, jalapenos, and red bell peppers!"

Kagome wanted to puke, and it wasn't just the baby disliking the food she was feeding it. It was her wanting to take the tray of food and ram it into the face of the ugly woman. Well, personally it would have been an improvement, she was sure. Oh, there she went being rude again, but at least it was just in her mind.

"It's really—" Hiei was interrupted by Kagome who finished for him, "Great!" Well, Hiei supposed that worked enough, though he was more leaning towards 'vile' or 'revolting'. Kagome could see why Hiei had tried not to come. The lady was insane! How did her family live off her food? Even the cookies were terrible, tasting like a cross between cement and plaster.

"So, miss, the reason we're here is because he was proposing to me when the ring fell into the vent. We think it might have landed in your vent. Might we check?" Kagome questioned the woman when there was a brief pause for the woman to take a breath.

"I'll do it!" Hiei practically ran out of the room, leaving Kagome to glare after him, an angry vein throbbing in her forehead. How dare he just leave her like that? She would so get him back for that!

"Oh, you're getting married? Oh, how fun! I remember when my Jimmy proposed to me..." Kagome decided that she would take it easy on Hiei if he only hurried up.

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**Word of advice: Never walk away from the computer and leave your writing up. I did that, and came back to find someone amongst my house of perverts had written a BUNCH of perverted things that... uh... Hiei and Kagome apparently were doing... yeah... I've got a hunch it was my step dad...**


	85. Crazies

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Crazies are fun. I don't own._

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Chapter eightyfive: Crazies

When Hiei arrived in the living room, he was shocked to find the Jewel shards were not in the vent as he had suspected they would be. Instead, they were on the top of the television still inside the jar. As he walked over to them, he wondered if the neighbors had more to them than they appeared.

When he had reached them, he scratched the back of his neck with one hand and took the shards with the other, staring at them. They were why Kagome would risk meeting his insane downstairs neighbors. She wouldn't explain how she came across them, just that it was important she got them back.

And he, the fool, had deemed it just as important to help her. Why? What was it about her that made him, a ruthless demon who had killed demons and humans alike with no exceptions given, want to help her? He clenched the shard jar in his fist, staring into the shards' foggy depths. They had once shone a beautiful pure pink, but he could see in their core a black disease of death spreading inside them.

They were tainted. They had remained the purest of pink while sitting on his desk, so he couldn't understand how they had come to be tainted. He had been confused when they didn't darken when he had held them in his hand, outside the jar. He had even been angry with them because they didn't taint. He was not a good person!

He could remember jamming them back into the jar, and shoving the cork back in place because they didn't taint. He had been thoroughly confused because he had done so many bad things in his life. He had grown up doing bad things and lived with hatred boiling inside his soul for so long that those shards should have blackened instantly. Instead, they just twinkled with purity.

He had tried for three days to get them to darken, but then finally gave up because nothing worked. It was as though they had been mocking him. It was almost like they shone with more purity with his every attempt to make them darken. True, he had not been trying to use their power against anyone. His conscience wouldn't have allowed that anyway. But the blasted things could have at least shown him something for his efforts, couldn't they have?

He was torn from his musings when he heard a yelp and a holler coming from in the area of the kitchen. "Hey! What are you—" The voice was Kagome's, he realized. She was angry. Looking towards the kitchen, he was startled to find himself facing a large flannel covered chest. Was he losing his touch? First Kagome, now this tall human male. Who next? Kuwabara? That would just kill him if that happened.

Oh what he wouldn't give for freedom from his annoying conscience. It constantly reminded him that he wasn't supposed to kill people for sneaking up on him. He was actually beginning to wonder if there was a miniature Koenma...er... an even smaller than miniature Koenma inside his head.

He wasn't given too long to think about it though. Before he had a chance to react, a moist cloth that smelled funny was shoved under his nose and everything went black. How had he let Kagome convince him into coming along? Oh yeah, it was that stupid thing called a conscience that hadn't allowed him to let her go alone. Great thing to have really, especially with it getting him in trouble.

**-Twenty Minutes Later-**

When Hiei woke, he felt rather disoriented. His mind was foggy with the chemicals he had been forced to breathe in and it was hard to focus on any one thing. The ropes binding him were strengthened to a point that he found he could not break free. It was this that made him hate his conscience. He should have done something, killed the human for sneaking up on him.

When his focus came clear, he saw Kagome was lying next to him, staring at something over his shoulder. Her eyes were a brighter red than Hiei's could have ever been and being so close to her, he realized something new about her. Her irises were larger than a normal human's. The crescent moon markings hanging from each eye seemed to pale against the color of her eyes. Instead of constantly changing, her eyes had stilled on that murderous red.

"—should we do with them, dear?" a cheery voice drifted to where they were from another room. He bit back an angry growl. Why the heck did all the crazies have to somehow end up where Hiei was? Couldn't he have a break? Couldn't he just kick back and enjoy a day where there was no Paper Box to attack him, or creepy horrid cooks trying to poison him, or freaks in flannels forcing him to breathe in some stinky substance that knocked him out?

Kagome watched Hiei's lips curl in an angry scowl. His shoulders were twitching, as though he was trying to free himself from his bonds. She already knew he wouldn't get free. There was a shard pressed into the rope that tied them there, and until it was removed, they wouldn't get free. She wondered what was going on around the place.

The first thing that happened after Hiei bolted from the room was the woman got some more food. She set it on the table and Kagome had to force herself to eat the disgusting dumplings, despite how her body wanted to reject it. But there was a strange taste to that serving that wasn't in the first, second, or third servings she'd been forced to choke down.

Before she could do anything, strong arms gripped her. She had kicked and hollered, trying to get away, but then a rather damp rag had been pressed into her face and she found the fight draining away with her consciousness. The next thing she knew, she woke up laying on a futon beside Hiei and they were both tied up with the aide of two Jewel shards, one for each of them.

She was angry. All she wanted was her property back. She couldn't even get away from the malice in the modern era! Everyone wanted the Jewel shards. "Kill them, like the rest of those bastards who came for them." The deep male voice said. He sounded irritated, but his levels of irritation did not match Hiei's.

Damn, Hiei thought bitterly. I'd rather Kuwabara killed me over these pests. His eyes scanned Kagome's as they listened to footsteps coming closer to them. Her eyes held no fear in them, he realized. They held only determination among a blaze of anger. She really was something else.

For her to hear someone so casually say they would kill her and she didn't show fear towards the one who said it wasn't something he'd come across in a human very often. Yusuke was a different story, as was Kuwabara, because after hearing it so often from all their aggressors and winning, the words suddenly lost their meaning.

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**Since clearly no one (except Ryukotsusei and Iridescent Twilight)is reading this anymore... And I got a job... and I'm still in school... I have no incentive to continue posting do I?**


	86. MoyMushrooms

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: She has no pockets? Oh dear... I don't own her._

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Chapter eightysix: Moy-Mushrooms

Kagome struggled against her bonds some more, finding the ones on her feet to be loose. She had promised herself she would take the world with her when she died. She wasn't about to let some good-for-nothing human and his bad-baking wife destroy her promise to herself. She managed to wiggle one of her feet free, as the footsteps got ever closer. "Quick, turn around." Kagome whispered.

Hiei nodded and shifted so his back was to her. He felt her toes groping the ropes on his back and then abruptly the force that made the rope unbreakable disappeared. He smirked. Whatever the woman had done, he was grateful. He tensed his muscles and tore apart his hands, effectively breaking the ropes binding him.

He turned and made quick work of the ties binding Kagome, realizing that it was Jewel shards—their cores completely blackened—that had held them in place. When they were free, Kagome picked up the two shards and they blazed with pink radiance as they were purified. She shoved them in her cleavage to be held in place by her bra and he quirked an eyebrow at her for it.

"What?" she snapped quietly. "Do you see any pockets on me, mister?" The doorknob to the room being unlocked alerted them back to the fact that they weren't yet free from their curious predicament. Hiei looked around for an escape. The window was small but he guessed in a pinch they could get out, and there was a closet in the room they were in. Those were their two main hiding options unless they wanted to stuff themselves inside a dresser drawer.

Wait, why was he thinking of hiding? Had he really gone soft? Those idiots started it! They threatened his life! Certainly it justified a defense! But he wasn't sure. Why was he having doubts? Why was he questioning right versus wrong now? Of course he should choose wrong, because he was evil!

A snide little voice in his mind questioned him though. If he were truly evil, surely the Jewel shards would have danced with a darkened core, even if he honestly did not seek to use them.

Kagome looked around for an escape. The door was opening, and she knew they would have to be quick. She saw a long metal pole peeking out from under the bed stand, which she grabbed eagerly. She might not be able to use a sword all that well, but she certainly knew how to play baseball!

She grabbed his arm and pulled him hastily towards the wall behind where the door would open. The first thing that entered the room was a heavy cleaver and then a hand. She raised the pole and smashed it on the hand as though it were a baseball coming straight at her, earning a startled glance from Hiei. Whereas he could not attack humans without purely just cause, the woman before him was saving both their rear-ends.

"Ah!" they heard the shout of the male. The door closed and they found themselves facing an irate, seven-foot muscle man. "You bit—" the man started towards Kagome and she scowled at him for the name he intended to call her. Before he could finish the word, she jabbed the pole into his gut, forcing the air from his lungs.

"I'm tired of being called that!" she snarled. "Don't I deserve some respect from anyone?"

Hiei grabbed Kagome's arm, dragging her from the room before the man could retaliate. He took the pole from her and sent her a glance. "You've got my respect," he promised her and saw her eyes immediately returned to shifting colors constantly at his admittance. He wondered why his apartment wasn't so big as they raced towards the front door.

"Wait, the shards!" Kagome cried, turning back. Hiei's hold on her arm stopped her. There had been more than just two shards in the jar! She couldn't let them continue to be darkened. They were her responsibility. Hiei on the other hand was thinking the exact opposite. They were ill prepared to chase after shards. He continued to pull her towards the door.

The apartment residents didn't seem to have the same opinions as Hiei or Kagome. The woman blocked them at the front door and the man blocked them from going back the other way. Back to back, Hiei and Kagome both groaned. "I need a vacation." Hiei muttered under his breath.

Kagome allowed the scowl show as it wanted to when the woman spoke. She had a sharp knife in each hand. The man was holding the cleaver in his unbroken hand grinning sadistically from ear to ear. Kagome had known the shards brought out either the worst or the best in the people they saw. This only proved her theory.

"Dear me, you children should by all means be dead! The poison I fed you should have taken effect by now." Hiei knew it! The woman had tried to poison him! Why did he have to be surrounded by crazy people?

"Poison?" Kagome winced. "What kind of poison?" She was afraid it would hurt her baby. She didn't go through all hell to give Ka a second chance only to have that chance wasted by some weird old hag who thought she could just go around feeding people poison!

"Nothing much." The woman said, waving one knife carelessly through the air. Kagome kept her eye on the man, watching him for any sign of movements. She wouldn't let herself be caught off guard. Why did she get caught up with the insane people? Where was Ryuichi when she needed him? Oh yeah! That's right! He was in the past, where he belonged! Darn it all anyway it just wasn't fair! Who would have thought that the bad cooking was apparently purposeful to hide the taste of the poison?

Kagome and Hiei noticed how the woman had directly avoided answering the question. Hiei frowned at the woman. She didn't know who she was... or more accurately, what she was dealing with. He could use his venom to obliterate the poison inside of him. He bit his lip with his fangs and allowed his venom to drain into the wound. In a matter of moments he knew the poison would be gone.

"Get out of my way." Hiei warned the woman, shifting his grip more comfortably on the pole. It was better than nothing at least though the grip on his sword was much more comfortable. There was nothing he could do for Kagome, so he hoped the poison wasn't too deadly. He was positive though that considering the woman had said 'you children should be dead' in general tones, Kagome probably wouldn't make it through the night.

"Well, if you're going to kill me, don't I have the right to know what poison you gave me?" Kagome snapped, as though it mattered. As though it were a last request. Hiei wondered why their enemy had not just jumped them already.

"Alright, alright. It was Moy-Mushrooms!" The woman snapped. "The package said it would savage those who consumed it, so I bought it."

Kagome grinned then, humored by the woman. They were truly amateurs! Or at least, compared to Kagome they were complete amateurs, merely idiots in a haystack. Moy-Mushrooms were sold in grocery stores everywhere lately and were a natural enhancement, spiking a person's arousal. The woman had probably misread the package, which was completely good on Kagome's part. She didn't know how many more deaths she could take. Wasn't the counter up to about twenty-four?

"Well, then, I'm sorry to have asked. I'll be dead any minute now." Kagome had a hard time keeping the humor out of her voice. The man had seen her grin though and demanded to know what was funny. Kagome shrugged and said, "Weren't you about to kill us?"

"Oh yeah." The man, clueless really, kissed his broken hand before charging forward with the cleaver. The woman raced towards Hiei, brandishing the two knives like she knew what-for. While trying to dodge the slices the man was tossing at her, she tripped and both she and Hiei went down. The man tripped over the bundle that was Hiei and Kagome on the floor and went sailing into his wife, knocking them both out cold by the front door.

Kagome looked at them and sighed. "Humans can be true idiots." She did, though, thank her clumsiness for the fact that she was still alive.

Hiei helped her to her feet. "Come on. Get your shards and let's go." He demanded. She could see why he was in a hurry. She didn't want to be there longer than necessary herself. She just wanted to relax in a nice...cold...bath. The Moy-Mushrooms were starting to take affect and even a pregnant woman was not free from the symptoms. She hoped it wouldn't affect the baby...

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**Ryukotsusei and Iridescent Twilight, I now award you with nicknames which are much easier for me to type. Ryutsu and Iritwi! Haha! Anyway, just kidding... Because you two are awesome and never fail to review for me, I will upload again. That's devotion that moves me. **


	87. Sexy Effects

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahackhackhackhack! Yeah... I'm tired of saying it. I don't own._

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Chapter eightyseven: Sexy Effects

**-Later- **

"You can relax, you know." Kagome told Hiei. "The herb I gave them will make them forget about the shards entirely. They won't be coming to hunt us down." After collecting the shards, Kagome had decided the best way to take care of the situation would be to wipe the downstairs neighbors memories of the entire event. It wasn't all that bad, considering the two were idiots.

Still, Hiei paced and paced, wearing a hole in his ink-stained carpeting. Kagome was sure that if he paced any more, the friction would start a fire and burn down the entire apartment complex. She giggled at him and settled further into his cushiony bed. He was acting like the two were about to come knock on the door at any minute. "I've never seen two bigger idiots!" Hiei glowered.

"I have!" Kagome chirped, snuggling his pillow. The Moy-Mushrooms, she quickly learned, was enhanced in effect by the many spices that was put in the dumplings. It made her feel attractive, even if she didn't smell aroused—thank god for Hiei. Hiei had neutralized the Moy-Mushroom effect using his venom, so he didn't have to deal with it as bad. He still did have to watch Kagome trying to fend off the little 'bouts of sexiness' that she seemed to burst into. What made it even funnier was that she didn't seem to realize she was doing it either.

He had almost burst into laughter when she had told him what the 'poison' was. He couldn't help it. The hilarity of a person misreading the label was immensely funny to him, and he wanted to know what idiot would possibly be so stupid as to mistake something in the common foods grocery aisle for poison. He was sure that not even Kuwabara would do that, which was seriously degrading because he was also positive that Kuwabara did some of the dumbest things around.

"Oh yeah? Name them." Hiei challenged, a grin spreading across his face. He watched Kagome peer at him through one eye. He had stopped pacing, finally, and the sky that was darkening outside began to light up with lightning.

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him. "My grandpa is one of them. He's a definite worse to the woman, throwing sutras on everyone because he thinks they're all demons."

Hiei's expression flattened and he said, "I think I met him at the grocery store a few days ago." He watched Kagome for a moment as she yawned. "You're sure they're not coming up here, right?" She nodded. "Positive?" Again she nodded. "Absolutely sure? I don't want to be cleaved up by some crazy person in my sleep."

Kagome flashed him an annoyed look. "Of course I am! I might be prone to tripping, but I'm not stupid when it comes to herbs." ...there came a knock at the door.

**-Somewhere in the Human World- **

"You want me to watch over her?" The voice was incredulous sounding and Koenma wondered if he had chosen the right person. Then, he slapped himself mentally. Of course he was! The person would get over the fact that they were now practically babysitting!

Koenma ran his hand through his hair and held the phone to his ear. Really, human technology was so strange, but it was the simplest way he could manage to get himself out of his father's ridiculous sight and away from his father's 'ears'. Seriously the spies were beginning to grate on Koenma's nerves. "Yeah. Will you do it, please?"

He waited for a long moment, wondering if the other person was even there still. Then he heard a prolonged sigh and an exaggerated, "Okay."

**-Elsewhere- **

Kagome laughed and patted Hiei on the head. "It's okay. You only squealed like a girl. I won't tell anyone." Hiei had jumped nearly three feet into the air, yelping when the door was knocked upon. If anything had cheered her up in her life, it was the picture of the gruff boy in black being so completely freaked out by a door being knocked on.

Hiei glared at her as she opened the door to show a pizza delivery boy standing there with a pizza and a bag of breadsticks and sauce in his hand. "That'll be thirteen dollars and fifty cents." The boy droned, looking bored. Kagome handed him fifteen dollars, making Hiei rather curious as to where she had gotten it. She had said she didn't have pockets... did she take it out of her bra too? He supposed that could certainly be why many women had large bosoms. The things doubled as purses for crying out loud!

Kagome took the food and closed the door, still giggling at her peeved companion. "Come on. Wash down that gross cooking with some delectable pizza." She took a breadstick and licked the seasonings off the top, making Hiei sigh and curse the mushroom. She looked at the dishes on Hiei's counter and again wondered if he had a 'significant other', but generally found no care. She was beautiful! (Or at least felt that way thanks to the 'shrooms, of course, but she did not take note of that... whether or not she truly was beautiful was yet to be determined).

"Uh—" Whatever Hiei might have said was cut off by the sound of the phone ringing. Kagome skip-hopped over to it and picked it up, speaking huskily into the receiver. "Hello?"

"Kags, is that you?" Yusuke's voice came bubbling through her ear. He sounded rather relieved, she noticed. She giggled and looked at Hiei who was quirking an eyebrow at her as though she were as crazy as the woman in the apartment below them. "Oh, good. Lemme talk to your friend."

Kagome held the phone out to Hiei. "It's for you." She whispered secretively.

He took the phone and placed it to his ear. Seriously there had to be something wrong with the female other than being fed Moy-Mushrooms by an idiot who had know clue what she was doing. It couldn't possibly be safe for him to have a crazy woman in his apartment, could it? "Hello?" he questioned the person on the other end of the line.

Kagome busied herself with eating the pizza. Both she and Hiei had purged the crappy food, dignity or not. Neither thought it was safe to keep it inside them. Now, she was famished and since the pizza she had ordered had come, she was certainly going to enjoy to the baby's content. Yes, the baby had taken over her mind. It was hungry, so she was hungry.

Before she knew it, she had finished half the pizza and nearly all of the breadsticks and Hiei was hanging up the phone with a slight look of dread on his face. "Is something wrong?" she asked him. She winked at him. "I'll make it all better with my beauty!"

Hiei glared at the phone as he said, "Your cousin said that since it's raining, he wants me to keep you over night."

"Really?" she giggled and walked over to him, placing a pizza-sloppy kiss on his cheek. "We'll have loads of fun!"

Hiei looked at her incredulously while wiping his cheek free of the pizza sauce and butter from the breadsticks. "Hello Madam Clueless." He muttered. "I don't play games."

"You do now!"

Hiei groaned and resigned himself to an evening of torturous cheer. But, thankfully for him, it was at that moment the woman yawned and came to her senses. She smiled sleepily at Hiei before collapsing forward. Hiei would have gone to catch her, if the phone cord didn't trip him. Dang, he needed a cordless phone quickly. Or one that didn't have a three-foot cord would be nice too, he supposed. Stupid human contraptions.

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**Ryutsu and Iritwi! Haha! Yeah! That's crazy! Where do I come up with this stuff? Man, I need a nap...**


	88. Relaxing Thunder

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: There's fun in the air, and two people napping in a bed. No, they're not doing THAT._

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Chapter eightyeight: Relaxing Thunder

**-Somewhere in the Human World-**

His hands brushed her cheek as she slept peacefully. His lips brushed hers tentatively at first but then gradually he pressed closer to her, pinning her slumbering form to the bed she slept on. He reveled in the silky feel of her skin and the warm, round feeling of her supple breasts. She never stirred during his ministrations, tasting and teasing her flesh, which made him angry. She had never stirred back then either. So long ago he had once enjoyed the delightful body beneath him, yet neither had she returned the devotion and love that he showed her.

Still, he ran his hands through sleep-matted hair that framed her face, leaning close to breathe in deeply her scent of perspiration and power. He had seen that power, felt it burn him, enjoyed the tantalizing feel of the torture, but back then she had stopped when she realized he had been delighting in her rebuke. He ran his tongue over her flesh, stopping at the nape of her neck to take in the scent that was another man lingering there.

Her scent being mixed with his angered him as it had so long ago. Still, he remained gentle with her, tracing her body with his hands. Even in her sleep she appeared not to want to feel his touch. She shied away from it, pulling the covers tighter about her shoulders. Her face scrunched up with distaste and she buried the side of her face into the pillow she was using. He could remember the taste of her blood even then after so long.

His mouth watered in anticipation and he let his tongue run the cleavage that he could show. Her bosom was most enticing, as was the rest of her. Her power was frighteningly marvelous. He wanted to feel her using it against him. He wanted to feel the lacerations being torn into his skin. He wanted to play Hide and Torture with her again. He wanted to feel her blood flowing through his fingers.

**-Human World- **

Hiei yawned and sat up, a pain in his neck making sleep very uncomfortable. He looked at Kagome who was also awake in the late hours of the night, staring up at the ceiling. She made not a single movement other than blinking to keep her eyes moist. He wondered what she was thinking about as he massaged his neck free of the sore that had grown there.

Hiei looked around the semi-dark room, noticing that the power had gone out because of the thunderstorm. The only light in the room came from the lightning as it danced and flickered, creating bursts of light that would illuminate the room momentarily before casting it in darkness once more. He had enjoyed thunderstorms for as long as he could remember because they were darkness in comparison to the light. He would prefer being stuck in the rain more often than not to a sunny day.

Still, there was days that he felt differently and cursed the rain for falling. That day was not one of them, because he had gotten to spend more time with Kagome. He almost felt like a friendship was growing between him and her, and he liked that. She was a kind person, though not too kind that he thought she was false. She had suffered, like he had, but she didn't beg everyone to listen to her sob story, which was something he admired about the human.

Hiei never asked anyone to listen to his sob story either, but with Kagome he just hadn't been able to keep a part of it—the part concerning Yukina—inside him. He had been very grateful to have Kagome there to listen to him and she had understood, as though she could literally picture and feel like she had been there in his life.

As the lightning lit up the room again, he felt compelled to go speak with her again. He wasn't sure what they would talk about, just that he wanted conversation all of a sudden. It was very unlike Hiei to want to talk to someone. He was more of a person of many silences, speaking only when he thought it necessary. Idle chitchat wasn't his best subject growing up.

But there he was, leaning himself against the edge of the bed to peer down at the woman as the lightning illuminated the room again. Her eyes, even in the dark with only the lightning as a guide, seemed to shift colors as though they were captured forms of the Northern Lights, or something much like it at least.

He watched her shift over on the bed and wondered what she was doing until she spoke to him. "Come up here. We can talk if you like." She offered with a smile that seemed eerie with the shadow casting across the room in the lightning again. He took the offer, feeling weird about sitting next to her on the bed, but gradually he felt himself relax again and her hand twined with his. Together they stared at the ceiling as the lightning lit up the room, casting a freakish glow around the place.

He was suddenly at a loss for words, and she made no move to force conversation out of him. The pained feeling in his neck dissipated as though it was nothing, just fading into the background and he felt comforted by her presence. He felt warmed in his soul at the company of her hand in his. He wondered if he should tell her his name, but again set aside the thought for a later date. He couldn't un-tell her his name, so until he was completely sure it was the right time, he wanted to wait.

He felt himself drifting to sleep again beside her in the bed and the blankets were suddenly covering his half-clothed form. He was sleeping in boxers and a tee shirt; she was wearing his boxers and a shirt of his for pajamas. The room wasn't hot, but it wasn't cold either and the blankets made the room comfortable. Never before in his life had he felt so content, so sleepy with someone else in his presence.

Never before in his life had he allowed himself to drift off so deeply.

Kagome looked at Hiei as the lightning lit up the room. She felt a smile grace her face as she brushed his hair out of his eyes, keeping her other hand twined with his. She felt the friendship blooming as well, and despite the fact that she didn't know his name, she didn't at all feel uncomfortable sharing a bed with him. After all, she felt it was no different than sharing a bed with Yusuke, or a sleeping bag with Shippou, or a bedroom with Ryuichi. She trusted them all, so it was no big deal.

The boy before her had been hurt, she knew. She could almost taste the old wounds like most demons could smell the distinctive scent of fear. She wanted to help the boy. She felt compelled to help him heal the scars of his past, despite how deep they might have been or how long it might take her. After all, she would have over nine hundred eighty years left to do it... so long as crazy people with Moy-Mushrooms didn't kill her first.

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**Back to normal yet? No, I'm not. That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha! (please, please review!)**


	89. Admiration

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: No one noticed I didn't write "don't own" on the last chapter? Well, I still don't own, and the updates will be slower now that I've got a job. Fun, but exhausting work. Please don't stop reviewing! _

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Chapter eightynine: Admiration

**-Feudal Era- **

Ever since the day she had disappeared, he had been desolate and lonely. His big sister had gone away again and he had only just got her back. He hadn't even gotten to spend much time with her because Sesshoumaru—ever the knowledgeable one—had made him begin studies with instructors of all sorts. He had an Etiquette teacher, a History teacher, a Math teacher, a Weapons instructor, and a Magic instructor.

All of these took most of the time during the day and he couldn't help but wonder if he was doing the right thing by obeying Sesshoumaru. There was a war going on around him, and he felt like he should do more to help. No one wanted him to though. People were coming and going, and the small fox cub was always in the way according to the rest of the population.

He was sick of being in the way. If they wanted him gone, why didn't they just say so instead of snarling about how useless children his age were? Why was he sitting through teachings when he should have been doing things that were important? But no, Sesshoumaru just wanted him to stay put!

He hunched down in the dark niche in the wall, staring at the prone and unconscious form of the demon that had earned Shippou's respect over the months and even before he had joined their rag-tag group of shard hunters. Secretly Shippou had admired him for his strength and talent, and despite all the bad that Inuyasha would say about him and all the times the brothers baited each other he saw his own family in Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha.

Inuyasha was like his long-dead uncle. Sesshoumaru was like his father. The two had baited each other just like the dog demon brothers did, but to a slightly smaller degree. His father and uncle had never tried to kill each other even if they did throw taunts and jeers each other's way. Slowly the young fox demon approached the demon king.

A weary looking healer was at Sesshoumaru's elbow, checking for fever and to be sure he was still breathing. The healer regarded Shippou with eyes that belied the exhausted look. The young boy ignored the human, his eyes cast with worry as he placed his tiny hand against the demon's cheek. No one knew of the admiration that Shippou carried with him.

Sesshoumaru was someone to look up to. Every demon child wanted to be like Sesshoumaru. He had amazing prowess in battle, and Shippou had even heard some weary soldiers talking about Sesshoumaru's childhood days where he would show great potential in the practice courts and had even beaten his father in a fair fight at the tender age of eleven. It had been right before Inutaishou's demise.

Despite the lack of one arm, Sesshoumaru was someone to be reckoned with and just a glance from him sent many people either running away in fear for their life, or some even fainted on the spot. Shippou wanted to be just like Sesshoumaru. He knew that the Black Death plague that had filed over the castle, settling in everywhere and leaving very few survivors was nothing that Sesshoumaru couldn't handle.

Looking up at the human healer with pleading eyes, the human nodded at his silent request. Shippou climbed up next to the demon, curling up just by the pillow. He was careful not to lie on Sesshoumaru's hair, knowing that would doubtless be rather uncomfortable. Shippou did not know why the healer had allowed him to do so, but he ignored the nagging feeling inside him that something was wrong.

Squinting his eyes shut, he thought about how he wished he could take away Sesshoumaru's suffering. He could hear the labored breathing even over the noise of the rest of the infirmary. Shippou knew how Sesshoumaru needed those backup troops and soon or else there would be no one left to defend the castle and its inhabitants which included Sesshoumaru—his idol.

He decided in the second before he fell asleep that in the morning he would steal away from the castle and retrieve the troops for Sesshoumaru. Hopefully Sesshoumaru would last that long...

He didn't notice he was being picked up by the human who had been tending to Sesshoumaru. He didn't know that the healer had in fact not really been tending to Sesshoumaru, but doing something much worse. He didn't notice that the human was not taking him to his room. He didn't know anything at all...

**-Sesshoumaru's Dreamscape- **

He stood there, staring helplessly as his people were slaughtered one after another by an enemy he could not define. His body was bathed in the glow of the full moon as it mocked him and his inability to defend those who he had sworn his oath to. The moonlight reflected from the blood that drenched his body, matting his hair in clumps and making his clothes stick to his strangely obese form. He would have fought if he could remember how to use the sword or his claws.

He reached out a hand towards Inuyasha, who came to defend him. He was going to tell Inuyasha to stay away, that it would all end if he just let the enemy take him. The slaughter would stop and the vicious toll on his kingdom would be over. He stopped when he saw his chubby fingers and wondered how he had come to be so overweight.

Inuyasha was cut down by the obscure adversary and his short black hair became dirtied as his head rolled on the ground to stop at his feet. He fell to his knees over the head and tears came to his eyes. Did Inuyasha not know when to give up? Could he not concede a victory to an opponent? But he did have great courage, at least, for even in human form he had decided to be his regular brash self.

Sesshoumaru looked through tear-blurred eyes at the enemy and saw that some of the thing had become visible. He could see the outline of the body, thin and shapely like a woman's. Was his enemy a female? "You're grotesque, but you have power. Wake up, jackass. I'm coming for you." She whispered and he heard it as though she had spoken it right in his ear. "And when I get there, you had better be prepared."

Sesshoumaru watched as she faded away and looked at Inuyasha's head, sobbing brokenly. It was too much for him to deal with. Seirra and Rin were only feet away, both hacked to pieces. The few who meant something to him were dead. Did Lady Misery love to torture everyone, or was he just special?

Let this be a dream! Let this be anything but real! He screamed in his mind, to be rewarded with a figure shifting into his view. The ethereal being looked like the very dead human child not a few feet away all except for the shifting spectrum eyes. She reached out and wiped the tears from his face and said, "Let us leave now. She cannot be allowed to continue her parade or all will be lost, including you."

He watched as she extended one strangely pale arm towards him. She seemed to be glowing. Was she an angel coming to take him to nirvana? Or was she the devil, coming to take his evil soul to hell? Inclined to find out, not caring what the answer was, he took the hand. He wanted to leave the place so badly that even hell would be better. At least they would torture him instead of his loved ones.

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**Please read the disclaimer and send your complaints to me through reviewing. **


	90. Disappearing Wall

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Anyone who steals my missing wall shall feel my wrath. Oh, okay, I'll share! Plenty to go around! I don't own most of the contents contained here-in._

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Chapter ninty: Disappearing Wall

**-Human World- **

Kagome woke in the morning to the sound of running water. Her nameless friend was in the shower, she realized with a tiny blush. She really hadn't gotten much sleep because she had been afraid to nod off. Every time she did, she would wake with a slight start and realize she was cuddling up against Hiei, her face buried in his chest and her entire body snuggling deep against his.

Most embarrassing was how she would always, always, have a leg thrown over his hip. Was she secretly some sort of... No, she must not think that way! She needed to keep her mind on good things. So, during the night when she would begin to nod off, she would pinch herself. But even that didn't work and soon she found one hand still curled in his fingers, the other twined in his shirt sleeve opposite her, her leg straddling him, and she was comfortably using his chest as a pillow.

Honestly, something was wrong with her! Darn baby was totally throwing her off. Wait, yes! The baby! She thought happily. She could throw it off as pregnancy mood swings! Did people really have mood swings even in their sleep when they were pregnant? She wouldn't ruin her excuse, so even if they didn't, they did now!

She remembered how he had not stirred during the night at all. He had just slept on, seeming to be at peace with the world. Oh how she loathed him for that. He should have woken up and yelled at her for being a little skank in her sleep. He should never have been comfortable as though she belonged there!

She got up out of the bed, shivering when the blanket fell away and the cold morning air nipped at her bare legs. She saw the open window and frowned, wondering why the screen wasn't on it. Walking closer, she saw with surprise that it was on. The screen had been cut away on three sides, swinging in the wind like a stray curtain or shutter.

Sneaking a quick look around, she knew she probably looked rather suspicious. She would have to work on being 'sneaky' if she wanted to be a good Secret-Keeper and steal the secrets. Finally sure that no one was there to witness her 'pass or fail' attempt, she looked at the screen before touching it and closing her eyes. She dove inside herself, searching for that ball of power she knew was there.

When she managed to find her power, she wrestled with it, trying to get it to obey her and fix the window. Of course, every time she tried to do something earnestly—like cooking for instance?—she almost always brutally murdered the object of her intents. This was no exception. When she opened her eyes, the entire window had disappeared, making her panic. Then, she looked at the wall that was supposed to be around the window and found that to be missing too!

"Eek!" she yelped, staring at her hand, then looking at the bathroom door. The shower was going still, proof that the man under the water was not yet finished. Briefly she wondered what he would look like naked and then slapped herself literally for such perverted thoughts. Just because Ka wasn't her opposite didn't mean she could go being weird on herself!

She really had to fix the window... and wall... She peeked out the dangerous hole and noted with horror that the entire side of the building had gone and disappeared. "Oh what have I done?" she begged quietly of the wind that tossed her hair this way and that. It, of course, afforded her no answer. It wasn't the courtesies-type.

She had to fix it before he got out of the shower! She heard the shower go off and panicked even further. Then, she got an idea. She knew illusions! Ka had pounded them into her brain! She would conquer this mishap... at least until she had the chance to call a builder... She always had to ruin things didn't she?

Reaching once more inside herself, her power cooperated with her easily as she used the mathematics she had learned along with it and created an illusion of the wall, hoping she had all the details right.

Hiei walked out of the bathroom, wet hair flopping around his ears, and shivered as a gust of wind tugged at his clothes. "Uh, I just wanted to ask... why my bathroom wall just disappeared."

"No! It didn't!" She raced into the bathroom, gasping. Why had she forgotten that the bathroom was connected to the outer wall? "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!" she looked pleadingly at him. "I'm new at this magic stuff, and I promised someone I would learn!"

"And so you made my wall disappear?" He looked rather skeptical. He groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. He watched the illusion fade, the 'wall' disappearing and the wind blowing on both of them, even though they were in separate rooms. "Don't even worry about it. I wanted to move anyway." No, he really didn't. Despite annoying and freaky neighbors, he liked the apartment.

Still, now he really had no choice. "I'm sorry!" she ran over to him and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. "I'll fix it, I promise!"

Hiei winced, fearing for the rest of the building. "Clumsy as you are, I don't think you should be messing around with magic." He was sort of surprised she had magic, but guessed it should have been obvious she was a witch. She certainly did get him to act like he never did before. So when he thought about it, it made sense that she would be a witch. A witch could often be termed also as a priestess, depending on how 'righteous' they were.

Clumsy Kagome couldn't possibly be that saintly, could she?

"Are you implying something?" She said, releasing him to flick him in the nose for the little 'offense'. Boy did he really make her act like someone she wanted to be. An outspoken person. She wanted to be outspoken, able to bait at will. Hiei rolled his eyes at her, but before he could say anything, she grabbed his hand. "I will fix your wall."

She nodded professionally at him, but his eyes widened and he grabbed her, pulling her back from the holey wall. "Just go already! You're so annoying!" He shoved her towards the door out.

Kagome realized her state of undress and glared at him. "You're going to make me go out there like this, in your clothes? Oh, what will my cousin think?" She got the desired reaction when he let her go and she raced to the bathroom and locked herself in. Not that that would do much for her, since there was a dangerously open wall.

Knocking on the door with a sigh, he waited for a response. He wouldn't go around the wall just yet, incase whatever spell she would try to cast hit him instead and made him disappear. He shuddered at the thought. He had befriended a witch? Wait, was she his friend? He was so confused...

Kagome looked towards the door with a grin. "You want to stop me, come and get me!" she teased, walking towards the wall. Or at least, where the wall should have been if the darn thing was there. Unfortunately, she seemed to have no luck with fixing windows. She hoped to have more luck fixing the wall.

"Alright, then I'm going to come in. Remember you invited me." He called back through the wood.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	91. Errant Pink Hat

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I love to blow toilets up in his face, but I don't own him._

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Chapter nintyone: Errant Pink Hat

**-Human World- **

Okay, now Hiei was officially scared. As soon as he had walked into the bathroom, the toilet had exploded, shooting sharp porcelain everywhere. Water began shooting up from the main supply directed into it, spraying everywhere. If he hadn't grabbed her and rolled with her out of the missing wall space, they would have been impaled on the sharp glass.

"Don't you _ever_ use magic again until you are properly instructed!" he hissed at her, one arm around her waist, his other arm hanging onto the floor to his bathroom. They were suspended in mid-air, and if they slipped, they would doubtlessly be dead. Even demons rarely lived through such bone-spattering events as falling off a building from so high up.

The neighbor, who had been apparently taking a shower, stared at the two with something kin to shock and disbelief in her crazy eyes. "Honey?" she called. Hiei swore, wanting to kick the lady in the face for the entire scene from yesterday. Apparently Kagome was right; she didn't appear to recognize him much. "Mister Gloomy from upstairs is hanging into the bathroom with a girl with tattoos..."

"That's nice, dear." The husband's voice called back, sounding rather disbelieving. He was doubtless in a room where there were four walls, Hiei guessed. He wasn't about to do more than guessing. But he had to admit, his annoying neighbor's wife had a pretty nice rack. Oh god, did he just think that? About the crazy lady?

He didn't want to admit it, but he had been very afraid at the moment when he had seen the porcelain cracking and then bursting apart. It was like time had slowed, and his speed kicked in. He had thought he would lose his friend and he had precious few to spare so it was a big deal indeed. Thankfully, he didn't lose her... But the toilet was flooding the bathroom and it was also backing up. He could smell it. It disgusted him immensely.

"I'm sorry!" she whispered, hanging tightly onto him. She squinted her eyes shut and felt Hiei swing himself into the neighbor's bathroom. She, being six inches taller than him, felt her feet hit the ground before him.

**-Later- **

It was getting close to the time she would meet her savior. She sighed, not really in the mood anymore. Her parting terms with the nameless boy were rather sharp. He had shoved her clothes in her arms and pushed her towards the door, yelling at her to leave.

She hadn't wanted to, but apparently she hadn't been welcome any longer. She had to admit it; she was pure trouble, just in the pretty package of a yellow sundress with white sandals and a slightly large sun hat. She had seen the hat in a window just a few moments before, so had indulged herself, hoping it would make her feel better.

It only made her feel more pathetic. She was trying to use immaterial objects to make herself feel better about something that she knew was her fault anyway. She just had to try fixing a stupid broken window that likely was that way for a reason. Then, to top it off, she had managed to make a wall disappear and a toilet blow up.

She had incurred him quite a bit of debt, doubtless. But she would pay it back! She swore she would! He would not suffer on her cause or fault. He was a nice guy and she had totaled his life, just like the rest of the things she touched.

A strong gust of wind took her new pink sun hat, making it roll into the road. She chased after it, but it took off again just when she was about to pick it up. She swore she could hear Kagura giggling in the wind, a mystery since Kagura was dead and couldn't have survived until then even if she wanted.

Suddenly she found herself safely on the other sidewalk, surprised she had not been hit by a car. Had she noticed, or bothered to look, she would have noticed there was a net of plants that had strangely sprouted from the ground to trap all the oncoming traffic safely. Still, the evil hat had a mind of its own and so she kept chasing it. She had paid money for it and dang it she would wear it!

It stopped at the feet of someone, who bent and picked it up for her. She looked the man over, blinking. She took in the long red hair that was braided down his back and the tight red tee-shirt. His enchanting green eyes reminded her familiarly of Shippou, but the hair was just a tad too dark to be him. Still, she felt drawn into those eyes, a blush staining her cheeks.

Infatuation was instantly embedding in her chest, putting definite meaning to "love at first sight". She felt a tingling feeling in her gut, like butterflies fluttering around there. His black pants were loose and business cut, his shoes were black dress shoes. His bangs fluttered in the wind and his long slender fingers offered her hat to her.

She made sure to brush her fingers with his as she took the hat and wondered what was wrong with her. Darn baby. It was more trouble than it was worth, wasn't it? "Thank you very much." She said hesitantly, jamming it onto her head to hide her flaming face. She raced around him, glad that even though she was pregnant, she wasn't so large that she would be waddling.

Great, I'm hysterical over a boy who kicks me out, rightly, for blowing up his toilet and making his wall disappear, and now I'm also feeling infatuation for someone I met on the street for a brief second. What was with her? Seriously there must have been something wrong with her!

Hastily she made her way to the café where she would meet her savior. Why was all the weird stuff happening to her? Couldn't she live one single normal day? Not tied up to someone else, not infatuated with a stranger, no blown up toilets, no disappearing walls, no suicide. The ideal day was where there were no crazy people after the Jewel shards, no insane woman feeding her Moy-Mushrooms, and definitely no death and visits from Mokuhi.

Sure, she loved the angel dearly and whispered a prayer in thanks to him every day, hoping wherever he was he would hear it. Still, he only appeared after she died, so she also prayed she wouldn't have to see him anymore. She was tired of dying. She was tired of pain. She was tired of the annoying snips called infatuation—seriously she seemed to find everyone attractive! Sesshoumaru, the guy on the street...who next?

The man who was currently digging through the garbage in the alley back there looked mighty fine, she thought wryly. I totally go for guys who look like they could be mistaken for a moldy turd.

That was so totally rude of her to think! She pulled the hat further down on her head. What was going on with her? Were the Moy-Mushrooms still affecting her? Was it the baby? What was it? Had she been paying attention, she would have noticed that she had already reached the café and would have noticed the door was kind of in the way of continuing running. As it was, she didn't see it in time before she ran into it.

Kurama, having been walking behind her after she had run away, shook his head and sighed. Such a clumsy woman. Amusing, but clumsy nonetheless.

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**The web login wasn't working. I blame faulty websites for the inability to post. More chapters yet to come. **


	92. Full Demon

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I work at Subway. I'm a sandwich artist. How much do you think I could possibly own at 6.5 an hour?_

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Chapter nintytwo: Full Demon

**-Feudal Era- **

Naraku and Onigumo were one and the same at one point in time. When Naraku finally cast out Onigumo's human heart from his body to successfully make himself a full demon, he gained something that he never thought would happen. He gained a new heart.

Despite the clear lack of the human heart, or human anything for that matter, Naraku found it wasn't just the fact that he had been half-human that gave him emotions. He was frustrated by this. He had worked so hard to become full demon, yet apparently the emotions had stayed.

What was even more frustrating was how no matter how hard he looked; he could not find Kagome, the woman who he so desperately needed to find. She had the last of the shards that he needed to complete his wish. Some would have believed him to desire the jewel so he could wish to become a full demon.

They were wrong. He had fooled them all into believing that for a reason, so that he could distract them from his true objective. The dead priestess Kikyou had helped him get the others to believe the lie, even if she didn't realize she had.

He desired not to fulfill a wish he had previously achieved. Naraku needed to be awarded more credit than that. He was shallow, not stupid. Now that he was a full demon, his shape shifting abilities were absolute. He could do as he wished. No longer did he have one night where he had to dismantle himself. He would have done with a better body, true, but the one he had was excellent.

With the demon slayer out of the way, he was able to begin moving in. She had presented the most challenge of them all at how to get rid of her because of the fact that Ryuichi had apparently taken a liking to her. But he had killed two birds with one stone, as the saying went. Now, next to go would be the monk. He would be a simple defeat, slain by the personage of his lover. It was a cheesy and overdone plot, but he loved to inflict the torment on a soul.

Naraku sent the first of his Saimyoushou off. The buzzing insects made their way to deliver the message to the monk. He did not doubt that the monk would come alone as asked. He might even make it so the monk believed Sango had betrayed him while away too. After all, the miasma had destroyed the bodies so completely that not even bones remained behind, so no one would know whether it was a lie or not. No one could know.

Where Sango had presented the most challenge to divest of, she still hadn't been the threat in the group. Shippou, that brat of a fox demon, had been the biggest threat to him. But with a small tip to the east, Shippou will have been dealt with. No longer would Naraku be threatened by the little fox cub who doubtless did not even realize how much he frightened the shape shifter.

Naraku smiled at how well his plans were going. Not only did the east take care of Shippou, they also took care of Sesshoumaru. Within days, the dog-demon would be dead. There was no cure for death. A chuckle escaped the man's throat and he looked out the window. Yes, things were going as planned, and on schedule. Once he found Kagome, he could easily slay her and complete his wish. The untrained priestess would have no say in the matter.

**-Elsewhere- **

Sango had followed Ryuichi into the back of the cavern, looking at the strange and curious artifacts that littered the space. The assortment was astounding, ranging from weapons to women's broaches. But now that they were at the back of the cavern, she noticed just how badly Ryuichi was affected by her.

Her scent over the hours had permeated through the space, and unless he wanted to go into the miasma filled water and be boiled to death, he had no escape from it. He was perspiring rather badly, sleeping either fitfully or not at all, and she could see the strain he was going through just to resist his hormones.

And it was only the third day of her period, too. When she hit the fourth day, she wondered if Ryuichi would be able to stand it, or not. She wondered if he would rape her because his hormones had taken over his mind.

Then she saw something occur that surprised her. Ryuichi began to transform. Was it so bad that he had to transform just to keep his mind clear? She wondered. She watched as his pants ripped, unable to contain the legs inside them. His nose and mouth began to lengthen; his shoulders stretched and relocated themselves.

When he finished, he was huge. Her eyes were wide as she saw the large demon rest on all fours, curling up in the cavern. When he was finally settled, she found his nose was just a few inches from her body because he was so large.

She wondered what kind of transformed animal he was. She tried to count his tails, but lost count around eleven because they kept moving around. The tails were bushy and long like Kirara's were. His fur was completely the pink his hair had been, and his eyes remained that same bubble gum pink.

He looked like a cross between several different animals so couldn't decide which he looked more like. She looked at his paws and saw they were as big as her torso. She felt something wet and coarse touching her and looked to see Ryuichi was licking her as though grooming her. She pulled herself away from him, but he grabbed her with his snout by the shirt and deposited her gently between his legs so he could continue.

Great, she thought. Just great. I've got a giant demon thinking I'm a lollypop. But at least he wasn't raping her. She yelped when the tongue flicked up the hem of the shirt, coming rather close to her personal area. Smacking his snout, she received a glare from him. She just glared right back.

"Don't even think about it." She hissed. A mocking gleam came in his eyes and he lowered his head as though to do it again. She blushed furiously and pulled the piece of clothing more securely around her. "Ryuichi, I said no!" she squeaked, more embarrassed now than anything.

A low purr escaped Ryuichi's throat and he ignored her, going back to running his long cat-like tongue over her skin. She would never admit it, but it felt really nice. Using his nose, he pushed the cloth out of the way and continued cleaning her. This time, she realized that Ryuichi wasn't going to clean 'there'. He went up her leg to her stomach after pulling the sash's bow apart. The top slid open and he began to run his tongue over the smooth flesh of her body.

She couldn't help but giggle. It tickled! Ryuichi looked at her either curiously or like she was nuts. She couldn't tell the difference really. She took the chance to pull the robe back around herself and attempt a glare at him. Of course, the best look she got off was no where near a glare, and he was able to see once more the girl she had once been by the river.

He heard her stomach growl and realized she was likelyhungry. She blushed prettily but he ignored it, looking around for the box he needed. It was a special box that would grant the user as much of whatever the user wanted. She could use it to get food to eat.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	93. Kagome's Father

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: It's like, I get double the amount of characters to torture when playing past and future and having people from the past in the future! Does that make sense to you? I don't own what is everyone else's._

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Chapter nintythree: Kagome's Father

**-Human World- **

Kagome massaged the bruise forming on her eye from running into the door as she sat down at a table in the Café on the Corner. She blushed profusely, recalling her idiocy. Why had she just taken off like that? The man was nice enough to pick up her hat for her and she just tore away from him like he was some sort of bad disease.

In the time it took for the waitress to place her order, Kagome fell asleep though. She couldn't explain why, but something tore her away from reality just like she raced away from the man who picked up her hat. Her head slumped forward on the table just as the clock turned to read three-thirty.

Seeing his daughter fall asleep at the table near him made him shiver as though a demon had just passed by him. He looked at his two adopted children for a moment. They were arguing, as usual, over a game they had played and who had really won. The day was supposed to be an outing with his adopted children.

Still, he didn't want his daughter to continue in that position, did he? She would wake with an awful crick in her neck. But he couldn't go over there either, because she couldn't know him just yet. He hated fate all of a sudden. It was interfering with his and his wife's life. It also interfered with his children and he hated that ultimately.

He wondered at the coincidence that his daughter was in the same place at the same time that he was. Was it a coincidence? Or wasn't it? He decided to do something at that moment. He closed his eyes to half-mast, reaching out with his power to her. He entered her dream and saw her before she would even notice him.

**-Kagome's Dreamscape- **

Kagome was on the cliff overlooking the Snake River again. She was staring down at the castle of Sesshoumaru's where he would be. Bodies were everywhere, and she could see things as they were happening. The Eastern Lands were withdrawing their soldiers, she saw. They were cheering happily. Over half of them had crossed the Snake River to head back East again.

Peering through slit eyes, she saw Inuyasha atop the tower facing the water. She wanted to be there by his side, so she moved in her dreamscape. She jumped her body across the extreme void to land on the tower top. After all, it was her dream so she could do as she pleased, couldn't she?

She saw Inuyasha was holding a strange blue perfectly round stone in his hand. He had a strained look on his face, as though standing up hurt but he would do it anyway because he was arrogant and never knew when to quit. "I'll show you, bastards." Inuyasha hissed, staring at the retreating soldiers. "I'll teach you! NEVER TURN YOUR BACK TO YOUR ENEMY!"

He held the stone tight in his fist and she saw that it wasn't really perfectly round. It had one sharp spike to it, but he had jabbed that through his palm. The blood dripped on the floor at first, but as he continued to clench the stone, the wound tore more and blood began to pour out. It caught in a divot on the floor and slowly rolled towards the edge of the tower.

"Inuyasha, don't use it." Kagome insisted, completely forgetting it was a dream. A voice beside her stopped her from saying any more and she looked toward it. She was surprised to see Naraku standing there, but took notice that his eyes were brown and not crimson-death. The sight of him in her dream brought back memories of a man from her childhood... from before the well.

"Kagome, he cannot hear you." Naraku told her, surprising her with a kind tone in his voice. Of course, she thought. It was her dream, and she was losing control over it. She looked over Naraku, wondering why her mind had chosen him to be in her dream. "This is your mind, recalling stories I told you when you were young."

"Father?" she gasped. She didn't have his face, so her mind was insanely picturing Naraku from the future being her father. "Papa, why... how... you look..." she felt her voice catch in her throat and turned away from Naraku, not able to continue looking at him. He couldn't be her father! Her father was kind and couldn't have harmed a fly. Naraku was a ruthless creature who delighted in the pain and suffering of others.

Instead, she was faced with the sight of Inuyasha using the water stone. It beckoned forth the Snake River, and the deadly python that had tried to kill Kagome came at its call. It swarmed the enemy, dragging a good number of them in. Then, she looked farther out and saw an army advancing from the rear to hit those who had not been pulled into the river.

Shivering, she guessed by the howl of wolves that those soldiers were Kouga's. Kouga resided in the North, and he was coming from the South to attack. He had probably had a devil of a time trying to get to the South to begin with so he could come from behind.

He was too late though, Kagome realized. Something had happened. She could tell from Inuyasha's aura, blackened with anger and grief that something terrible had happened.

"Kagome, wake up." Naraku told her sharply.

**-Café on the Corner- **

Kagome sat up abruptly, looking around wildly. The dream. It had been so vivid. Naraku had been there, and she had mistaken him for her father. She was coming up with a world of strange things, wasn't she? To make up for the loss of her father at such a young age. She wanted a father again, but it wasn't to be. She had to remind herself that.

She saw someone standing by her table and looked up at them, recognizing him as the man from the streets who she had felt a sudden infatuation for. The blush rose to her cheeks again as she saw him, her eyes helplessly roaming his person again. She really had to work on that. She couldn't go around randomly checking out guys, could she?

Then she realized something. The man before her could be her nameless savior. Or he might be some sort of creepy stalker, a snide part of her mind suggested, but she ignored that part. He seemed too decent to be a stalker. Of course, wasn't that the way her unfair world worked? The decent were indecent?

Kurama took her letter from his pocket, showing her and she almost breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't a stalker. But that made her blush even worse because she recalled the position they had sat in for hours in the little hiding hole in the Realm of Opposites. "Uh, yeah... I'm Kagome." She said lamely. She even knew it was lame.

Kurama chuckled. "Youko Kurama." He wasn't sure what design had made him tell her the name of the fox spirit, but now it was out and he couldn't take it back. He would look odd if he did. But that was the first time he had ever introduced himself as the fox not the human boy.

She waved to the seat across from her, intending to offer him to sit with her. Instead, her hand knocked her water over and it spilled all over her dress. She could only think, at least it was water. Still, it was embarrassing. She was so clumsy! Might as well call her fumble-finger-Fred or something like that.

Kurama reached and grabbed some napkins from the holder and helped her to clean the mess up, making her blush even worse because he was being so nice. "You wanted to ask a question, proving who I am?" Kurama said, reminding her as she hastened to clean up the water from the table and her dress.

"Uh, yeah." She wished she could sound more graceful. Maybe even like Seirra who could make Kagome feel like she had butterflies in her stomach just listening to Seirra's voice. Seirra had that same effect on everyone too, Kagome recalled. Even Sango had admitted to Kagome that she felt like Seirra was dangerously charming. "Um... Where did we meet?" She should have asked a harder question.

"The Realm of Opposites." Kurama told her, sitting down after the mess was cleaned up. She blushed, shamelessly watching the muscles as they moved under his tight shirt. She closed her eyes, trying to will away the blush. Unfortunately, luck was not beside her that day because the blush only got worse. "When we met, it was because we ran into each other. You fell. To escape the demons that wanted to devour us, we hid in a hole in the wall."

She couldn't possibly think he wasn't her nameless savior after all that. She looked at him, forcing her eyes to stay connected with his. He was smiling, and that smile made her heart leap ten miles. Attack of the blushes. Yes, that was a perfect name for what was happening to her. The effect he had on her was just too strange. Not even Inuyasha had that effect on her.

She contributed it all to the baby. Yes. The baby. Perfect excuse, right?

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	94. Interruption

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Aww, a nice chapter. Well, I can only hope the next is filled with TERRIFYING and GRUESOME events that tear apart the souls of... ehhehe... yeah, I'm rambling again... I don't own._

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Chapter nintyfour: Interruption

Kagome eagerly made friends with Kurama. He was intelligent beyond his years, and though she could sense a few minor secrets, he was the first she didn't feel inclined to have to help. He was able to take care of whatever he had to on his own. It was like he had enough experience dealing with problems that he always had a solution.

He was also easy to get along with and had a sense of humor that was non-offending. Most people had to be derogative in order to be funny, but Kurama wasn't one of those people. Aside from that, she didn't have to hide behind a lie with him. He already knew she was special, and she knew he was special.

They could easily tell each other what they wanted because they already knew in a way. She, of course, provided no information on the well or time-traveling, but she didn't lie about being a priestess. They each ordered an ice-cream cone to go, he got vanilla and she got chunky monkey. When he quirked an eyebrow at her choice of ice-cream, she offered for him to taste it.

"It's really good." She promised him. "It's what my cousin gets all the time. I tried it and it was just so yummy!" She blushed when their hands touched, a result of him taking the cone from her to try it. He tried it and his eyes lit up slightly.

"It's good." He agreed and she giggled. He handed it back and they walked away from the café together. She enjoyed the companionable silence they shared as they walked by parks and lounge buildings. Restaurants dotted the street as well. They finished their ice-cream cones and stopped at a garbage can to throw the napkins away.

Kurama saw the ice-cream on her lower lip and pointed to it. She blushed and swiped at her mouth, but couldn't get it. He licked his thumb and wiped it away. He thought Kagome was really pretty, and so did Shuichi. Kagome was the first woman both could agree on simultaneously. She smiled and thanked him.

They didn't need to say anything really. Not to enjoy each other's presence. She felt embarrassed that she just took off earlier, but was more careful to hang onto her hat this time. Shortly before the sun was to set, Shuichi noticed they had walked to the same spot where she had disappeared the last time. He tensed, looking towards her. He was prepared to grab her if she sprung away again.

Instead, he was surprised by her again. She stared up at the top of the stairs to the shrine before whispering, "My family lives there. But..."

Kurama frowned when she stopped talking. "But..?" he prodded. He wanted to know everything about her. He didn't want her to stop talking. He knew she was infatuated with him. He had hundreds of fan girls at school, so knowing wasn't a problem. But she was also different than those girls.

It was amusing, to watch her trying to tamp down that infatuation so it wasn't noticed. Other girls displayed it so eagerly as though it would increase their chances with him. When Kagome spoke, it tore him from his thoughts. "But my mother is tainted. Her power is tainted with red—corruption."

Kurama didn't know what to say to that. Normally he had a way with words that could put any girl's insides to flames, or cure sadness in an instant. However, he was not prepared for the sudden speechlessness that he was awarded with by his absent mind. And while he continued to stumble for something to say in response to her, she continued talking.

"Oh, look at me. Blabbing my mouth off like it matters." She sighed and continued walking—away from the shrine. She didn't want to be reminded of the tainted power that sealed the well. She didn't really know how to get to Yusuke's from where she was, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get away from the shrine and the memories of her mother's cruelty.

It was something she wanted to leave behind.

"It matters." Kurama told her, following her. His long legs were easily able to catch up to her. He was, she guessed, about eight inches taller than her but he didn't act condescending. He didn't act like that extra height gave him an advantage over her. Finally his mind had returned and he was able to think of things to say.

Changing the subject, Kagome looked up to the sky. "Once upon a time, a person could see the stars clearly from where we stood."

Kurama allowed the subject to change, stopping beside her to look up at the dark sky with her. "But that was a long time ago." He agreed. Kurama remembered the days when he could see the stars clearly. He longed to be back in those days, but ignored it.

He felt arms going around his waist and looked down at Kagome. The smell of salt permeated his senses and he knew she was crying. He hugged her back, providing the comfort she silently requested, and wondered why she was suddenly upset. Had he said something wrong? He couldn't recall saying anything offending the entire day.

Perhaps she was thinking about her family though. They had just passed that place. He wondered why she was living with Yusuke if her family was alive and kicking. It was strange. He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to know everything about her. And he hardly knew her too!

He wanted to protect her. His demon instincts, most of them lying dormant for years, began to swell towards the surface of his person and he tightened his hold on her. The fox that had once been became a real entity again, complete and whole. He looked at his pale arm, knowing he had just changed somehow.

Something inside him had made him change form, to the humanoid fox named Youko Kurama. He could feel the fox ears twitching on his head. He looked at Kagome for a moment before deciding what to do. He grasped her chin gently in his fingers, making her look up at him. When she saw him, her eyes widened but she didn't fear him. She had known he was special.

She blushed when she saw the gentle look in his eyes. The fox demon was having a rollercoaster effect on her stomach, especially after he pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes widened; the spectrum colors' stopping on a bright and surprised pink, the blush becoming so bad she wasn't sure what to do.

She felt like electricity was pinching her at every inch of her body. Any thoughts that she had about not being good enough or pretty enough for someone evaporated. She leaned in to the kiss, delighting in how she had been right. Kurama wasn't just another human. There was certainly no chance he would be another boring guy from school.

The light from the lamppost shone down on them and Kurama couldn't keep a smile from spreading his lips. They had hardly talked during the day, so it wasn't like he could have wooed her over with words—not that he couldn't if he wanted to, but this was different. He hadn't even meant to, really. He had decided he would tell her not to be sad, but instead ended up kissing her.

This branch of unpredictable actions he had done was completely alien to him. Still, he moved with it and gladly she didn't smack him for it when she did have that right. He had kissed her, no real warning or anything.

A loud, "Hem hem," sound interrupted the two, making Kagome jump slightly. It just figured that when she finally had a nice moment to herself, someone would come and ruin it. Kurama was thinking about the same thing. He looked with irritation at the recognizable voice, glaring at the intruder. Yes, intruder indeed.

But she knew her delight in that kiss hadn't been the baby. Hmm... what could she blame it on then? Oh well, she would just chalk it off as his fault, because he was really good at kissing and he was sexy and hot and many other words she could probably think of to describe him if she decided to take a moment and think. As it was, her thoughts were a jumbled mess. She wanted to yell at the intruder for breaking her moment!

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	95. Carved Warning

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I really need to work on the whole torturing people business. Another nice chapter, another day I don't own._

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Chapter nintyfive: Carved Warning

**-Feudal Era- **

The fourth day had begun officially. Sango knew instantly when her scent spiked because Ryuichi stopped running his tongue over her body, pushing her away gently with his nose before curling up as tightly as possible. She was startled at first. She had thought that in his demon form, he would be able to easily overcome the hormones that drove him to do things to someone, but now knew that he probably hadn't had any form of release in a long time.

As the hours wore by, she saw he was even having a difficult time keeping up his transformation. He was getting smaller and smaller. Within three hours he had become completely normal again, minus the tiny fact that he was naked and his eyes were bloodshot. She realized she would have to do something or she would end up being raped.

He wasn't as bad as she had thought originally, was he? Why would he fight his hormones if he was truly so bad? Perhaps he did enjoy her in pain, but he clearly wouldn't stoop so low as to rape someone. She praised him silently for that, moving to his side to grasp his hand as he clawed at the ground.

She looked at what he wrote on the ground. "Stay back" he had written. She sighed and pulled the tie to his shirt open—which coincidentally was on her body. As his fist clenched on hers, she kissed the dirt smudged tips of them. It was better she give herself to him willingly, she believed. If he took her without her consent, she would harbor a grudge worse than before towards him, and he would hate himself as well.

She would set aside the fact that he was a demon, for one night. He was too far in a stupor to recall she was a demon slayer anyway. And since she was positive she was barren, she could never become pregnant with an abomination. A child born to kill itself. She would never have it.

If she closed her eyes, would she see Miroku instead? She wondered. No, she only saw Ryuichi, the man who was truly there with her. It wasn't so bad, she realized. Even though he was on the fringe of his control, he was gentle with her. She wondered if he would be mad, or disgusted with her when he finally was sane enough to realize she had allowed his hormones to tip his control.

Considering the warning he had written in the ground, he would be furious.

**-Elsewhere- **

Shippou woke to darkness. He searched for Sesshoumaru's body but it was no longer there. Startled, he looked around as his emerald green eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could finally see again. He found that he was on a giant futon. Servants surrounded his bed, sleeping on the floor with thin blankets.

He hadn't seen such a display in his life. Why was he surrounded by servants? Why was he not by Sesshoumaru when he clearly remembered falling asleep next to the dog demon king? Shippou saw a young boy with gold eyes and fox ears like him. The main difference was their hair. The boy had long platinum blond hair, held up in a messy ponytail.

He appeared to be among the number of servants around Shippou. Shippou didn't think it was very safe to have so many people around him. If something happened, there would be a scramble and people could get hurt. Aside from that, any one of those surrounding him could be assassins!

Yes, living with Sesshoumaru had taught him many things. Or at least, being taught by his tutors had taught him many things anyway. Anyone could be after his life. Wait, what if he had been kidnapped by Naraku? He sat up, and instantly several of the servants began to rouse themselves.

The fox boy at the end of his bed had been awake the entire time, staring at him, but the others began jabbering questions asking how they could serve "Lord Shippou". Shippou was confused. He wasn't a lord, nor was he worthy of such attention. He stared at the golden eyes and they stared right back.

Suddenly something began wrenching painfully at his insides and he curled up in a ball, biting his lip so he wouldn't break out crying. The golden eyes came closer and the boy who owned them barked out, "Get out, all of you!" Shippou just wanted the pain to stop. What was the pain from?

Did he eat something bad?

**-Human World- **

Botan snickered at Kurama. "I see..." she chuckled. "Interesting..." she dragged her words out to immeasurable proportions until Kurama just wanted to beat her down for mocking him. She looked at Kagome and giggled. "She doesn't look like your girlfriend."

Kurama's eyes narrowed and Botan. Now he seriously wanted to kill the Lady Death. Could death die? He wasn't sure, but he was willing to find out. "You have a girlfriend?" Kagome asked incredulously. She blushed furiously. Had she been led on to believe he was free? She just kissed someone with a girlfriend?

Botan giggled again though nervously this time and said, "I'm just kidding. He doesn't have a girlfriend." She had seen the murderous look Kurama was sending her. She also saw the relieved look that came across Kagome's face at that. Botan guessed it wasn't a very funny practical joke to play on the priestess.

"What do you want, Botan?" Kurama asked, annoyed. Never before had he been so irritated at anyone as he was at that particular moment towards the Lady Death. Could she have chosen a WORSE time to interrupt?

"Ki—I mean, Master Enma himself wants to see you!" Kurama resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "It's a very important matter, so you must come immediately!"

Kurama sighed and looked at Kagome. He couldn't ignore the call of King Enma. To do so would mean death. He didn't particularly adhere to the idea of dying again. Instead, he decided the best thing to do was just to go. "Fine, I'll go." He said, not looking away from Kagome.

"Who is King Enma?" Kagome asked. Clearly she had picked up on Botan's blunder. She wasn't stupid, and he approved of that. He ignored Botan, reaching up to graze the back of his fingers over her cheek. Her skin was delicate and smooth underneath his hand, and aside from that also rather warm because she was blushing profusely at his treatment of her.

Was she not used to it? Did no one ever think to treat her like the angel she was? Kurama said, "He is my employer's father. May I see you again?" He questioned her. At her nod, he kissed her cheek tenderly, and Botan cooed at the two.

"Will you shut up?" Kagome snapped at the woman, pregnancy hormones swinging about wildly, dangerously ebbed up because of her embarrassment. Botan snapped her mouth shut immediately, flinching away from the spectrum eyed stare. Kurama smirked. No more need be said.

"Botan, if you would please lead Kagome to the Elbe housing complex?" Kagome hadn't told him where she was staying, so she looked at him sharply, wondering if he really WAS a stalker and she hadn't realized it. She hoped not, because he was really nice and she was really, really, infatuated with him. "Your cousin, Yusuke, is one of my friends. I know where he lives." He gave for an explanation.

She smiled at him. How could she possibly think HIM a stalker? He was way too adorable. She reached up, unable to contain herself, and tweaked his ears. "So cute!" She giggled and he laughed.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	96. Hostile Greetings

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Since it is my birthday and everything today..._

_Happy birthday to me!  
Happy birthday to me!  
I have a new cell phone,  
And some fun new CDs. _

Tsubasa blows out the candles to her birthday cake.  
She thinks really hard about what she wants.  
Nothing could make her happier than 19 reviews before...  
The next update.

_Happy June 5th.  
Tsubasa shall have Mongolian Barbeque for supper._

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Chapter nintysix: Hostile Greetings

**-Demon World- **

Kurama glanced around the place he was in. He recognized it from a long time ago, but it had been hundreds of years since he had been there. He received quite a few glares from the people of his home place, but he ignored them all. He was after one person only. Then, he could get back to the Human world and continue his life as was normal for him.

Yeah, he could go back to a weird mother that was desperately trying to marry him off—a human mother no less—or he could come back to the place of his birth where eventually he would be accepted again. He wasn't sure, but somehow that struck an appeal to him. Still, the idea of leaving Kagome alone wasn't at all as appealing.

Immediately before he could enter the palace of his long time friend, due to the 'request' of King Enma, he was greeted rather rashly by the guards of the palace. They looked at Kurama with disgust before one said, "What are you doing back here, thief?" Okay, so Kurama had stolen a few times from a couple of the locals. Was the hostile greeting necessary though?

He watched the soldier hold his scythe in his hand, white-knuckled. Still, he couldn't feel very impressed. He was actually glad that whatever Kagome had brought out in him had made him transform into the form of Youko Kurama. Perhaps he might even be able to learn to manipulate that and become that form whenever he wanted, with practice. With a smirk, he said, "Step aside, please. I wouldn't want to become hasty and be forced to harm you."

With the wary looks he was receiving from the two guards, he guessed his last visit was still fresh in their minds. He would have to talk to his friend about that. It wasn't safe to keep the same soldiers on post for quite so long. Who knew what sort of bad type of fox could easily worm their way into the keep? Kurama certainly knew he could do it if he so desired, using his charm alone despite the two being men and not women.

He even used a pleasantry, he noticed with an inner grin. "No one is entering this place." The second guard stated firmly, gripping his choice weapon—the trident—in his hand as tightly as the first guard. It seemed white-knuckles were quite common around the area, Kurama noticed. "We have orders from Lord Shippou himself. None shall pass!"

Kurama scoffed. If his friend thought these guards were going to stop him, he would be sorely mistaken. Kurama doubted that Shippou knew he was returning, though, so couldn't have possibly known to tell the guards not to hinder him. Kurama wasn't one to waste lives because he was irritated though, and so with a flick of his long silver braid—and of course a rather sneaky trick to sending his energy into the plants at the feet of the two guards—the guards suddenly found themselves dangling from delightful little webs of plants.

Kurama much preferred his own body to that of Shuichi. Shuichi could use his plant abilities to an extent, but there was a very thick line drawn and many of the things he could do in his fox body were not among that which he could do in the human body. One such thing was not having prior contact with a plant before binding it to his will.

"Hey! You little thief, why are you here?" the scythe guard snarled, trying to cut himself free. Kurama laughed and provided no answer. He felt no urge to reply, just walked towards the gate, pushing on it. The heavy, large wooden door was bolted on the other side, but with it being wood he found no trouble at all to shove his power into the dead plant and sprout new life from it.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his fast beating heart. How long had it been since he had such ultimate control over the plants around him? Sweat beaded on his forehead and he couldn't get over his initial excitement. Sure, he was hundreds of years old, but did that honestly mean much in comparison to the delight that even the plants felt? The plants wanted to feed off of his power, and he wasn't exactly won't to allowing them.

He felt the incantation being uttered before it even reached his ears. His plants were recoiling from the power being summoned. Fire, the enemy, was approaching. The thought of the fire there brought difficulty in his concentration. He couldn't concentrate when he knew there would soon be fire!

Laughter filled his ears, making him turn. There stood his childhood friend, a demon he had not seen in hundreds of years. Still, he recognized the voice before he saw the face that had hardly changed from the last time he saw him. The boy with his bangs curved around a flaming sun marking, small spiny triangles flaring from it, smiled. The sun seemed to glint with an array of red, orange, and yellow seemingly all at once.

Emerald green eyes darted mischievously towards the guards who had once stood post, then came to meet the yellow-gold eyes of Kurama again. Kurama's eyes, however, were not on the red-head before him, or at least for very long anyway. They trailed toward a clawed hand that held a ball of flame in his direction rather mockingly.

Without warning, his friend shouted, "Fox fire—Apocalypse ball!" The young Lord Shippou jumped into the air, flinging one ball of fire after another. Kurama almost panicked, but gripped his emotions tightly. He danced to the right, literally, and effectively dodged one ball after another. The balls smoldered and sizzled the ground he had just seconds before evacuated.

Kurama wondered why he was stuck with the friends who always wanted to kill him on first sight. Resigned to a fight, yet knowing he was disadvantaged against his friend—fire always held the advantage over plants—he spread his energy to the surrounding plants. New life sprouted and Kurama directed it to converge on Shippou.

The new plants brought food for the fire fox. More plants meant more oxygen to be breathed into the area. The flames got larger. Exactly the reason why Kurama had the disadvantage. Kurama could feel the heat radiating even from the distance he was at. The heat was making him perspire. He needed water, and a lot of it, to gain an advantage. His plants were burning up before they even reached Shippou.

"Damn it!" he swore, his friend's green eyes laughing at him.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	97. Another Dream

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Haha! I didn't say it again! __And I outran the lawyers and the bakery-mongers that are after me! Just kidding... well, maybe not about the bakery-mongers...they want my money... and I want their bagels! I don't own the bagels, but I wish I did. I should just give up my money. Mmm, bagels and cheese.__

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Chapter nintyseven: Another Dream

**-Human World- **

Kagome looked around the apartment with a sigh. She had felt so good in Kurama's presence. She felt like she could just hug him and snuggle him and—oh wait, let's not go there. A blush stained her face and she raced into her room, slamming the door shut. Either stress would kill her… or the pregnancy mood swings would.

There she fell asleep, dreaming of dancing in the rain with a certain fox demon. In the end, it turned into a nightmare though. That figured. He turned into a tuna fish and started devouring her—not humorous when she was living it in her mind, but very funny when she thought back on it later.

In the morning, she shifted over in bed, only to shortly find her face in contact with the floor. "Ow!" she yelped, then wrinkled her nose as she smelled the dirty sock that just happened to be on the floor at the time of her crash landing. Groaning, she got up with the hope she would see Kurama again. Kurama. Kurama. She loved that name. It rolled off her tongue like smooth liquid.

Yes indeed, she was severely infatuated. With a giggle, she looked out the window and prepared for her day. Perhaps she would even see the nameless boy in black again?

**-One Month Later- **

Kagome felt absolutely miserable. Yes, she was five months pregnant. Yes she was showing. Yes she was wearing Yusuke's clothes since none of her's fit. She never would have known that in the fourth month of her pregnancy she would bloat like a balloon, with zero sexual appeal at all. She hated to think what she would look like at the end of that month—the fifth month.

Worse yet, she hadn't seen Kurama again—or even glimpsed him!—and the nameless boy was heaven knew where, certainly not by her instable self! An entire month had gone by and Yusuke was probably feeling rather degraded, usually being the one to get Kagome's bad mood taken out on. She couldn't help it though. She felt three whole seconds of happiness at seeing someone else feeling bad.

And then, of course, she felt bad for making him feel bad, which was bad. Life would never be easy.

And to top things off, her Aunt had moved out of the apartment and into an apartment with her new boyfriend who just so happened to be rich and this guy was paying to keep Yusuke and Kagome at the apartment, so now the two lived alone and they were confused and… she was PMSing. One moment she'd be giggling and kissing Yusuke on the cheek, the next she'd be yelling and throwing things at him.

Yusuke seemed to understand, but she knew his patience with her was wearing very thin. She wanted to blame the baby, but couldn't, because it wasn't the baby's hormones affecting her, it was her own hormones suffering a severe imbalance. Because of the baby? No, because of her own mental instability. Very confusing, but she was sure she had that situation correct in her mind.

"I said I wanted chicken stuffing, not beef!" Kagome yelled, tossing the bowl at Yusuke. He ducked and it shattered on the wall behind him. Instantly she felt bad. "Yusuke, I'm sorry!" she apologized, waddling over to clean up the mess. Tears streamed down her face as her hormones acted against her, plotting to make her weird. Really, that was what they did. Hormones had a mind of their own.

Especially hers.

"It's alright, Kags. Just… hey, it looks like rain. Why don't you go up to the roof and relax on the chair we put up there for you?" At the thought of the chair up on the roof, she immediately pounced him for the great idea. He fell backwards, catching his hand on the floor. He winced.

"Good idea! A chair!" she yelped, then waddling as fast as her fat stomach would permit towards the door, opening it and closing it after her. Yusuke lifted his hand from the floor, looking at the porcelain in his hand. He frowned, pulling the large chunk out. It hurt. A lot. He couldn't wait until the baby was born. Maybe, hopefully, Kagome would go back to normal.

Kagome saw the lawn chair on the roof and sat in it, relaxing. The sun streamed down upon her and she basked in the light. Yusuke's large button up flannel that she was wearing was only buttoned at the top, the bottom free to hang open and it did. The two sides fell down and revealed her plump tummy, one of her hands rising to rest on her lower abdomen.

Thoughts flitted in and out of her head and she couldn't even recall why she had gotten upset with Yusuke. Later on, she would apologize. She felt the baby kicking and a smile came to her face. The baby had been kicking a lot recently. It felt strange. Shocking even, but she enjoyed knowing that her baby seemed alright.

She began thinking. What would she call the baby? Was there a right name, or what? She knew what she wouldn't call the child, and that would be "Ka" because the baby would not be like Ka from the realm of opposites. The baby would enjoy a life of happiness. A life of noise! Lots of it!

She didn't know when, but she drifted to sleep with the rhythmic patting of her baby's kicks.

**-Kagome's Dreamscape- **

She didn't return to the cliff top at all. Instead, she was flying over the land, far over it. She stopped over a lake surrounded by dead trees and decaying animals and fish washed up on the shore. Cocking her head slightly, she looked around before noticing a cave a short distance away, beyond the trees, still by where the trees were living.

That was where the presence she felt was coming from. It was calling to her as though she needed to see something. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to see though. She supposed she would soon find out as she went towards it.

What she saw chilled her soul, even in her dream. Sango and Ryuichi… one would never have guessed. Still, thankfully it was just a dream. Kagome thought about the scandal that would arise if Sango ever really got together with Ryuichi—a demon—because of Sango's profession.

She turned away, blushing. Now would be a good time to wake up. She didn't need to hear those moans.

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**Check out the new stories under my profile. I've started posting stories that I was working on under the names sesshoumarulover713 and end-of-tomorrow, but had discontinued. Maybe you've read them before? This one will be continued too. That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha! (I still want those bagels)...**


	98. Rinay's Happiness

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I own that poem! Don't you dare take it, especially without permission! I own the poem, Rinay, Ryuichi, perhaps a few other characters, but not Inu-gang or YuYu-gang. _

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Chapter nintyeight: Rinay's Happiness

Happy Endings

/ Written by Rinay of the Spectrum Eyes, the first Secret-Keeper, found in The Scroll of Life /

There is no happy ending  
For me, I face my fate.  
I promised myself the world  
When I died, It I would take.

My heart, it grew  
Like the budding rose.  
I saw your face  
And love, It I did know.

There is no happy ending  
For this world, I shall decide.  
I promised myself never  
When I died, It would not reside.

My heart, it burned  
It lay upon your hand.  
The dripping blood becomes ice  
And love, It lay in the sand.

There is no happy ending  
For us, I shall confess.  
For human and demon  
One ever resigned to death.

There is no happy ending  
For the demon, I wish you well.  
You will live on  
And ever lonely, I will be felled.

Smile for me anyway  
And know that forever I shall love.  
There is something there but not for us  
We are but unmatched gloves.

Hold on for me anyway  
And live so you may thrive.  
I desire to see your children  
When my spirit walks up the drive.

There is no happy ending  
When you live with Spectrum Eyes.  
A life of lonely solitude  
And many days of curled up cries.

To bend my heart  
I hope you do not.  
It just might break  
Or get tied in a knot.

I have found my happy ending  
I hope you do the same.  
All I know isn't what I show  
And my secrets are my game.

What is my happy ending?  
I'm sure you wish to ask.  
But as you know I only hide  
What I feel inside the past.

**-Human World- **

Hiei looked at the book in his hand. He had no clue what it was, or what it read. That was the purpose of trying to teach him to write. However, so far he was only able to distinguish which ones appeared to be the same word and which ones appeared to be of some different origin. The absolute worst part was that he thought some of the books he was trying to mimic were written in several different languages at once.

It didn't do well for his lessons. He snapped the paintbrush in half angrily. How was he going to learn if he kept breaking the utensils he needed? That was the last paintbrush he had at that moment too. That sucked bad. Resigning himself to it, he shoved his chair away from the desk, the wheels rolling.

He had managed to reverse Kagome's spells, but it meant being really weak for over a month, especially after having to go to each and every apartment on that wall and remove the memories of the missing wall from the members. It had been terribly painful as his Jagan sucked on his severely decreased life force. Aside from that, the Jagan was constantly trying to take over his weakened body but he couldn't let it.

Punishment wasn't something he had known before, but now he knew it and he never wanted to feel it again. It made him rethink all the times he had tortured information out of people and whether or not he would be hesitant to do it again. If he needed the information, would he be willing to inflict pain like he had just felt for over a month?

Trying to ignore the nagging thoughts that told him he was becoming soft, he left his apartment, intent on going to the Spirit World. The nearest portal that he could slip through was a few blocks away, so he would have a brief walk to get there. He had to steal more paintbrushes. Dang it. Why couldn't things go his way and he just start figuring things out?

**-Feudal Era- **

Both were surprised it had happened not once, but several times. Both were surprised they didn't really mind. He was a male, and she was a female. They could appease each other, and it allowed her to know he wasn't as bad as she thought. She couldn't think he was horrid if he was so kind, so gentle with her during it. He could have taken her forcefully, she had come to realize. He was stronger than her physically and mentally.

But while they were trapped in the cave, waiting for the water to clear up from the miasma that poisoned it, she had approached him and tipped the scale of his hormones on him. She had accepted the fact that if she didn't give herself to him willingly, he would take her against her will. He had not been pleased to find himself naked next to her when he woke, because he had known what he had done to her.

She had not been able to sleep after it was over; she was exhausted, true, but it was hard to sleep knowing that she had just had intercourse with a demon—the very thing she was born to kill. Her relief lay in the fact that she was barren. She figured, even though she still had her period every month, it was futile because she was infertile. No man, human or demon, would be able to have a child with her.

He had snarled at her, angry. He was ashamed, she had known, because he had slept with his mortal enemy and couldn't have done anything about it. It was his weakness and the blow she dealt was somewhat below the belt. She had let him slap her twice before dodging the third blow. "It was that, or be raped!" she had hissed at him.

Ryuichi's pink eyes, she saw, were filled with angry tears. Not for her, not for the pain he had inflicted upon him, but for the shame he had brought upon himself and her. The shame made him cry. Still, pride would not let him back down. "Do you really think that after two thousand years, I lack control?" He snarled, and she realized her error.

She had thought him to be a young demon, unable to contain himself in an extended period of time. Perhaps he might not have needed appeasing. But she was wrong. After two thousand years, he would have learned control. He would have had to, because he would have at some point in time walked through a village or city that had several hundred women all dealing with their monthlies, and the scent would have had to be dealt with.

After that, seeing the tears, she walked over to him. "I am a woman." She told him, raising her hand to the side of his face. She ran her thumb over his lips before smirking at him. He didn't do very much except tense and look at her suspiciously. Both were still very naked in front of one another—not that he had a choice after his breeches were destroyed by his transformation. "And you are a man. You were not the only one who had needs. We're stuck with each other for a while."

He raised his own hand and touched her eye where a bruise was forming quickly. It would be a little puffy, but not too much he was sure. "I'm sorry." He apologized, truly feeling bad about hurting her. He understood where she was going with what she was saying. No one needed to ever know and as long as they were stuck with each other, they could make things more tolerable with each other.

But now, Sango woke up naked next to Ryuichi, a few days after her period had ended, and found there was a broken line between tolerable, and pleasurable. She turned to look at _him_. She wasn't sure she wanted to even say his name anymore. It seemed so... so wrong, yet so right. His eyes opened to look at her lazily before he closed them again, his arm snaking around her waist to bring her close and make her lay by him again.

Last night had not been to quench any form of physical desire. She thought. Last night...was an accident. She looked at her shoulder, where a piece of skin he had cut off was healing. It burned, but the venom—_his­_ venom—was healing it quickly. He had cut too deep and she hadn't been able to hold back the cry of pain.

In an apology to her, he had dripped his venom onto the wound, and it began to heal. But it had burned so badly. He had kissed her, hoping to take her mind of the pain, and soon any semblance of clothing was no longer an obstacle for them. It made Sango blush. Several times she had been with him. Several times she and he had enjoyed each other. But the last time... it was so much better than any other time because there were no hormones to control them.

She could still feel his lips on hers, taste him in her mouth. His warm body was at her back, the chiseled torso making her blush further. She heard him chuckle and knew he could smell the heat pooling inside of her. Turning her in his arms, he pinned her to their little bed of furs in the cave and kissed her deeply.

Slightly widened brown orbs met pink ones. She saw no malice in his eyes, no cruel jokes either. What she found was her eyes slowly closing, her arms moving around his neck. Again they made love, even though neither really _had_ to in order to keep their sanity. They could do without and still be the same. But this... this was something new... it was... it just _was_.

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**§Important!§ As you know, I don't do too many author notes. But this is important. Obviously. The poem, and anything else that is written by Rinay of the Spectrum Eyes, is written by me. It is my work, so please do not report my story for having it in here. That's not crazy. It's the way it is. It is mine, and I own the poem, so please do not take it. **


	99. Child's Play

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Welcome to the last double-digit chapter you will ever see on this story. I claim ownership to the number ninety-nine. Oh, and midgits and monkies are after me. Apparently. Good days, good days. (still don't...)._

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Chapter nintynine: Child's Play

**-Human World- **

Sesshoumaru frowned as he looked up to the grey sky. Most people couldn't understand why he dallied in the dealings of Humans instead of just living up the high life in the Spirit World, but he did it anyway. They called it child's play, but he called it smart. He would better know where things were going if he lived among the humans, and it gave him closer access to Kagome whenever he needed to be by her side.

However, this dark day was different. He felt oddly loose like he was forgetting something. There was a nagging feeling of someone watching him constantly but when he looked back, trying to find the source of his discomfort, there was no one there. Everything was perfect. Oddly enough, he almost felt like he was back in Feudal Japan, during his days of weakness, chasing after an evil being known as Naraku because the half-breed had done something malicious to his property.

He knew that Naraku was alive and well in this era, but also knew that he wasn't about to try to sabotage things or get up to his old mischief. The Naraku that lived in this era was not the same Naraku that had lived hundreds of years ago. They were the same spirit, but they were completely different. One had been a half-breed for a time before casting out humanity and becoming a full demon. The other, the one in the modern era, was a human born with the power of the Secret-Keeper.

It wasn't awfully hard to remember the differences. One was the father of his elder sister, the other was an evil being who needed to be vanquished. Not destroyed completely, but vanquished from the feudal times.

Shielding his eyes from the light as the sun poked out from behind the grey skies, he gripped his briefcase in his hand a little tighter, recalling the last time he walked down this particular street. Some idiot had kicked a can right into his head. Come to think of it, he never had figured out who had done that. Perhaps some investigation was in order, just to appease the time and ease the dreams he had of going to visit his big sister while she was fully conscious.

"Hold up!" He heard someone calling. Turning, he slipped to the side as his precarious younger half-brother came barreling after him, carrying a box of something. Inuyasha tripped on the sidewalk and that box went tumbling forward out of his hands, papers spewing out onto the pavement. Short gusts of wind picked the papers up and dragged them away and both demons could hear Kagura's laughter floating with the paper.

Kagura, the mischievous little wind sorceress, had not truly died that dreadful day back in the past. Naraku had killed her physical body, but she lived on through the wind, and only those who had known her realized she was still there, ready to defy gravity and mock them indefinitely with her ghostly laughter. Sesshoumaru chuckled and bent to help his brother pick up as many of the papers as they could before Kagura nabbed them and stole them away on the wind.

"Inuyasha, perhaps you should think of purchasing a new pair of legs if yours are shot." Sesshoumaru joked and Inuyasha was nice enough to reward him with a flipped up middle finger. More papers were blown into the wind and Sesshoumaru got a glimpse of what they were related to. Inuyasha the reckless half-breed seemed to be looking to purchase another company that opposed his.

Sesshoumaru wasn't too interested in business and so had more gone into the music career track. He taught at a local high school and partnership-owned a music studio beside a woman who took dancing to heart. The woman was young but she was very mature. She had been dancing for twenty-five years, starting at the early age of two. She had a hard time keeping up with her half of the rent, but Sesshoumaru wasn't about to kick her out for it. Instead, he picked up what she couldn't cover and in return he had the pleasure of watching her become flustered.

Yes, he was basically cheating on his wife, or at least had cheating _thoughts_ but he didn't mind. It wasn't like he _liked_ his wife anyway. There was no love lost between the two either, because love had never been a concept that his wife could understand. He only married her because he was forced to. He married her because at one point in time, she had been more powerful than him. Ironically the times changed, and the tables turned. The lever of power jumped out of her hands soon after their marriage and settled comfortably in his.

That was the way he liked things. He liked to be in control at all times. This way he was able to. His wife had no qualms with cheating on him and did in fact have several children with other men. These children were Koenma's half-siblings, though Koenma knew nothing of it since he rarely saw his mother.Sesshoumaru had no qualms with letting his wife cheat on him either. If it kept her out of his bed, all for the better.

"How is the studio going? Any new music students?" Inuyasha inquired as he half-heartedly slammed the lid on the box to keep the wind from dragging away any more papers than he had already lost. They both knew it was fruitless to argue with Kagura's spirit. She clearly wanted those papers, useless as they were.

"Not really," Sesshoumaru responded, flagging down a taxi for his half-brother. "Sheena and Haru are trying to recruit at their new school, but I believe they're finding the opposition very hard to deal with. Most of the students in their school apparently hate music in every way, shape, and form. Their band consists of seven clarinets, two percussionists, and one woodwind. Their chorus is non-existent."

As the taxi parked against the curb, its front fender scrapping the sidewalk miserably, Sesshoumaru opened the door for Inuyasha who looked grateful for the help. "What about Rei's dance studio? Any new students there?" Inuyasha asked, pushing his box into the taxi and securing it in with the seat belt. The driver of the cab looked at him in the rear-view like he was weird or something--which was something Sesshoumaru could hardly contest to.

"A few, but she's not making enough to cover the rent again. A few of her students went on vacation so she has fewer lessons. I'm going to need some money again from you." Sesshoumaru was, needless to say, among the most powerful demons around all three worlds--the demon world, the spirit world, and the human world--but he didn't carry a wallet full of thousands either. Inuyasha was in charge of his money, so to say he was his banker would be a good term.

Inuyasha had been extensively pleased to be given the position of 'treasurer' as well as being Sesshoumaru's lead general, having long since been bumped from second general to first. The 'promotion' had come at just the right time for Inuyasha too, because it motivated him to become involved with the goings-on in the human world again instead of sitting around in the spirit world complaining about how bored he was. Since then, Inuyasha hadn't been bored in fifty years.

"Okay." The impatient cab driver began inching back off the curb, ready to get into traffic. The scraping of metal on cement alerted the two to this fact and Inuyasha got in. "Okay, geez. Talk to you later, Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha waved, shutting the door. "Drop me off at the corner of Twenty-nine and Sixth." He demanded and the cab driver screeched into traffic.

Sesshoumaru ran a hand through his hair comfortably, feeling the silky silver strands run away like smooth liquid. He looked at his watch and sighed. He was late for school. He might not have been a student, but as a teacher it was his job to be a good role model and apparently being late was one of those _no-no's_ that the average, every day teacher faced.

He quickened his pace. It would have been pointless to take a cab since it was only a few blocks away. He didn't even own a car since parking in Tokyo was grating on one's nerves. It took longer to find a parking spot than to walk to where he needed to be. He figured his reasoning was sound enough.

Besides, walking was nice and the school wasn't far from his studio--where he lived when he wasn't in the spirit world. When he got to school and into his classroom, his students were tuning their band instruments. Depending on the varying levels of skill each student had, some sounds were dreadfully off-key, and others were perfectly on the mark. Sesshoumaru was pleased to see so many returning faces. Today was the first day of the new semester and it left a pleasant taste in his mouth.

"Mister Matenkashi, the new students are waiting for you in your office," one of his students told him, using his 'human' last name. Sesshoumaru nodded his acquiescence and placed a smile on his face as he walked towards his office. He got a look at each of the students through the window before he even walked in. He was mildly surprised. Well, it looked like he would not be keeping out of sight after all.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha! **

**On a side note... Everyone should review this chapter. I mean, come on! How often do you get to review the ninety-ninth chapter of a story? Hm? HM? **


	100. Happy Birthday, Ryuichi!

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Haha! I claim ownership of the number 100!_

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_There are one hundred "100"'s above this sentence.  
Don't forget to count the first "100". _

**_Welcome to...the triple digits...  
_**_(that sound's creepy...)**  
I don't own...  
**(That IS creepy...)._

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Chapter one hundred: Happy Birthday, Ryuichi!

**-Feudal Era- **

Sango bit her lip nervously as she tried to carefully peel herself from his arms without him noticing. She was sweaty and sticky after their latest 'encounter' and she was sure she smelled rather disgusting. Still, her she couldn't help but wonder what Miroku would be doing if it were his arms she was trying to escape from.

She had no such luck getting away. She had come to notice that Ryuichi was a very light sleeper. She didn't even get more than an inch away from him before his arms came around her again and he nuzzled his face in her hair, breathing in their mixed scents that covered her. She felt heat pooling inside of her and blushed. "You really should stop doing that..." she all but begged.

Chuckling huskily in her ear he pinned her again and started licking her body with his surprisingly long tongue. How had she not noticed how long his tongue really seemed? It seemed like it had been forever since she had left his bed. For a brief moment she wondered if she had become a whore. Oh if her father could see her now... he would be horrified, probably would have thrown her out of the village.

"Don't you ever get tired?" She asked him curiously as his ministrations got lower and lower, the fur blankets following him to leave her body slightly exposed to the cool air of the cave.

Goosebumps rose on her flesh when she heard laughter from the entrance of the cave. She didn't bother to try covering her exposed body, knowing whoever it was would have already gotten a nice view, but her hand flicked to the edge of the fur bed and closed around the hilt of her sword. "No, he does not tire. He never has in over two thousand years."

Ryuichi sighed, sitting up to run his hand through his hair. "Akio, you really grate on my nerves. Kill him Sango." He demanded half heartedly.

Sango looked at Akio for a moment, observing the male in the entrance of the cave. He had pink hair and eyes just like Ryuichi, but unlike Ryuichi he had blue at the tips of his hair and his pink irises were rimmed with silver-white coloring. His skin was sunburned bright red as though he worked often outside.

Instead of his muscles being hard trained for fighting like Sango's and Ryuichi's, they were formed from what she guessed was probably years of farming. If she had to guess, she would say there was some relation between this demon and Ryuichi. "Put down the weapon, woman." Akio told her, chuckling somewhat.

Sango didn't release her weapon. Distrust was embedded in her already at the first laugh. Instead, she flipped the clip that kept the sword locked in the sheath and narrowed her eyes at him, her other hand moving to grasp the sheath as well. Unsheathing it would not be a problem should she have to. "What do you want, Akio?" Ryuichi asked him.

Akio chuckled again at Sango's distrust and walked into the cave. Sango only then noticed the person behind him. A young female, clearly human, walked meekly behind Akio carrying a small package in her hands. "That's a fine way to greet your son, isn't it?" Akio grinned. "Happy birthday, father. Isoo and I thought it appropriate to bring you something since you decided to grace us with your presence on Isoo's birthday."

"Sango, kill him." Ryuichi said again, tilting his head at his apparent son, who only laughed. The woman behind Akio tried to stifle a giggle but failed. Sango clipped the sword back in her sheath, annoyed because Ryuichi presumed to tell her what to do. She saw no threat in Akio, though appearances could be deceiving.

Sending a frown at Ryuichi, she said, "The first person I kill around here is you," before she grabbed her kimono and started dressing. Ryuichi winced slightly at the hint in her tone. To him, she clearly thought that though they shared a bed, she still believed him her enemy. She picked up her exterminator uniform and her sword, heading stiffly out of the cave.

Akio watched her go with interest before turning to his father again. "So who is she? I've never met a woman who carried a sword before." Ryuichi only hoped that Akio didn't realize what kind of uniform was crumpled up in Sango's arms before she left. He shrugged and looked at his son, who pointed to his obvious lack of clothing. "Father, your presence disturbs me. Get dressed would you?"

Ryuichi chuckled and did as asked, dressing hastily. "So it's my birthday already is it?" He asked his son, who shrugged differentially. Akio noticed that his father completely ignored answering who Sango was. Akio was strangely intrigued over Sango. She would kill Ryuichi? She had sounded serious...But of course, his father was too strong to be beaten by a mere slip of a woman anyway, so he needed not worry.

Accepting the package from Isoo, Akio's wife, he bent over her hand, kissing the knuckles daintily. As would any modest maiden, Isoo blushed profusely. Isoo was clearly not afraid of Ryuichi because he was a demon. Akio, however, balled his fist and brought it down on his father's noggin. "Father, if you would refrain from wooing my wife please?" he snarled. "Open your damn present. I swear you're too horny for your own good."

Ryuichi rubbed the bump on his head, standing up straight again with a rueful grin. "I can't help myself around beautiful women." He apologized. If Sango had heard that, she would have been surprised at how alike Ryuichi sounded to Miroku. It was thankful that she wasn't around though, because she might have actually felt jealous that Ryuichi could one moment be kissing her, and just as easily be kissing another woman the next.

She would have called him overly amorous. It was fortunate she wasn't around. She couldn't be jealous about what she didn't know, could she?

Isoo giggled and said, "Happy three-thousand years, father Ryuichi."

"Ah, has it been that long?" Ryuichi questioned, scratching his head.

Akio whispered in Isoo's ear, "Old age does that to him." He was talking about the forgetfulness. He had forgotten his own birthday! Isoo giggled again and Ryuichi began to open the present.

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**I don't think anyone's going to be forgetting this is the 100th chapter for a while.That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha! **

On another note... REVIEW THE ONE HUNDRETH CHAPTER! WE'RE IN THE TRIPLE DIGITS! HOW OFTEN DO YOU SEE THAT! Oh! Em! GEE! Please? And please I beg you to read and review my other stories... they're so lonely...


	101. Lost Lunch Is Worse

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: "I just got the worst news ever people..." The author sobs to her audience of delighted readers who remain annoyed at her random outbreaks into oblivion during each of her disclaimers. "Apparently I don't own the number 100!" She sobbed again, accepting a tissue from the tissue box that was kind enough to hand her one. "And apparently I don't own Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho characters! Why me? Why lead me on thus?" Her piteous sobs filled the air and made all the readers sad... before they shrugged it off, became happy again, and read the arguable chapter._

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Chapter one hundred one: Lost Lunch Is Worse

Unheard, Unseen 

/ Written by Rinay of the Spectrum Eyes, the first Secret-Keeper, found in The Scroll of Life /

And so I fall from my high horse,  
My crest, my crown, my cries,  
Each of these things they fall,  
Upon unseeing eyes.

"Hello," she said to me,  
I was so proud.  
I felt like an adult,  
So tried not to speak too loud.

"Can I help you?"  
She finished her sentence,  
I would never have known,  
I was about to pay penance.

"Yes," I said to her,  
I was quiet and meek,  
"Is Kelly around?"  
She went in the back for who I did seek.

When she came out,  
Sadly she was alone.  
Kelly had gone,  
And I felt forlorn.

"You have been off the schedule,"  
The girl did begin,  
"For two whole weeks.  
"Dreadfully sorry, my friend."

Sorry for what?  
Is what I did wonder.  
It was not her fault,  
That I fell, or did blunder.

But what I did wrong,  
No, I could not fathom,  
"Hello, You are Fired, Goodbye,"  
She finished, a bad one.

So I lifted my head high,  
I would not feel such dread,  
Or at least would not show it,  
Even if I felt dead.

After only eight days,  
Could they honestly let me go?  
I hardly got a chance to work there,  
My skills they could not know!

So what do I do?  
I thank her and leave.  
And then I laugh,  
At the unjust scene.

Madness takes hold,  
Or took hold I might say.  
I wanted to fall,  
I did it that day.

And so I have fallen,  
From my high horse it seems.  
And no one will ever hear  
My tears, my laughter, or my screams.

**-Human World- **

Sesshoumaru walked into his office just in time to hear a rather odd piece of the conversation his older sister was having with another student. What he heard made his eyebrows rise nearly completely into his hair line, his golden eyes go wide. "You blew up my toilet! What was I supposed to do?"

Sesshoumaru could foresee many hardships in the coming months. He set his briefcase on his desk, surprised he was unnoticed by both of them as of yet. He recognized the boy as one of his son's Spirit Detectives and wondered just what his son was up to, sending the boy to join Sesshoumaru's band class.

"I said I was sorry about that!" Kagome insisted, glaring at him and crossing her arms over her chest. "And what about that day you made me drop my lunch, hm? When are you going to pay me that back? That's just as bad!"

Hiei scowled at her, his hands weaving into his hair so he could yank at it in frustration. "How the hell can you compare dropping a lunch to making the entire wall to a building disappear _and_ blowing up a toilet?" He practically yelled at her. "There's no comparison as to which is worse!"

"Yeah, you're right!" Kagome said heatedly, "The lunch is worse, no comparison!"

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat, alerting the two to his presence before blood was shed as clearly was about to happen if the clenching fists and tensing muscles was any indication. He really didn't think it would look good on his resume if he had to list 'ability to watch students pit in a battle against each other'.

Kagome turned abruptly to look at Sesshoumaru, her lack of grace sending her tumbling to the floor where she got to enjoy not only jolting her rear painfully against the ground, but her head smacking into the edge of the piano. "Ow, ow, ow," she cried, holding her head as Hiei smirked down at her and teased, "It seems you make it a habit to fall over. Do you enjoy that, or are you just that clumsy?"

"Why you jerk!" She still was holding her head and it appeared to Sesshoumaru that she would never notice him. Or if she had, she didn't know it. Did she lose her memory after all? No because when he revived her, she had said 'Sesshoumaru, am I home' or something to that extent at least which made it impossible for her to have forgotten.

"That's right, I'm a jerk. Do you finally comprehend this, or do you need further proof?" Again Hiei mocked her and Sesshoumaru couldn't help but be amused by this display of emotions from his sister. He had only ever seen Inuyasha get such a rise from the girl and even then she was still more polite than not.

"Ugh! I'm not even going to talk to you anymore!" Kagome yelled.

Hiei smirked and relaxed. "Finally, silence. I didn't think I'd ever know it again." Sesshoumaru watched for another moment as Kagome fumed, clenching and unclenching the hand that wasn't holding her head. Silence reigned for only that moment before she opened her mouth, only to be interrupted by Hiei. "I thought you weren't talking to me?" She glared at him and stuck her tongue out.

"Okay, enough said." Sesshoumaru closed the door with a distinctly audible snap, enclosing the three of them in the room. Two sets of eyes snapped towards Sesshoumaru, only one widening in recognition. Hiei wouldn't know Sesshoumaru, not even as King Enma because very few were privileged to see him, so that left only one pair of eyes to be filled with recognition. And oh were they filled.

Bright stable blue eyes stilled on golden pools and Kagome felt warmth spread through her heart, mending the rip that had started to form the minute she rested eyes on Naraku Akira—the future Naraku. Despite that she had seen them again for a few short weeks; there had still been the question of whether or not her mother's decision to seal the well had changed whether or not people survived.

But there he was. A white polo shirt, blue tie, and blue dress pants; he looked splendid. She found out for sure that he could make anything look good, no matter what it was he wore. She cursed herself for being weak as she felt consciousness slipping away from her. She fainted and might have actually gotten hurt if Hiei hadn't caught her.

Hiei wondered exactly how he had let Koenma talk him into it. He hadn't even gotten to see Koenma, just a _phone call_. Whatever Koenma was plotting, Hiei wished he would be left out of it. He didn't want to have anything to do with the supposed 'genius' of Koenma.

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**I feel so loved. So many reviews. That's just crazy that you all love me enough to review! But... okay, not really sexy crazy, because that'd just be weird, man. Heh... eh, yeah... **


	102. Bloody Bandana

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters I use, I just kidnap them and torture them purely for my own twisted pleasure, and of course your pleasure too since you clearly enjoy what I do!_

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Chapter one hundred two: Bloody Bandana

**-Two Hours Later- **

Kuwabara scratched his head slightly as he looked down at his advanced mathematics homework. No matter how hard he tried, he always got this strange itch on his head when he was thinking hard. It made a lot of people think he was clueless, but really he was a smart guy. He had top marks in all his courses for the past year and a half, which was really good considering the Dark Tournament was during that time too.

As he scratched down the answer to the question, he looked over at Hiei, who actually looked more than miserable in the class. The crimson-eyed demon stared blankly at his homework as though it was a demon he had to kill, but just couldn't remember where he put his sword. Kuwabara was certainly getting some weird vibes from Hiei recently. It was as though he was there, but yet at the same time he really wasn't.

Kuwabara's eyes moved to the suspected 'demon homework' and saw that Hiei hadn't answered a single question. He hadn't even written his name in the name slot. Come to think of it, Kuwabara couldn't understand why Hiei was even in school. It was probably a mission he had to do for Koenma, but if Hiei didn't get his homework done he would be moved into a different class!

Then how would he accomplish his mission?

Well, it wasn't Kuwabara's problem. He turned his attention back to his homework. Yusuke's cousin came into his mind then, causing him to scratch his head again. She was really pretty, but still was a problem. Yusuke wasn't hanging out with him anymore because _she_ was around. And what about Keiko? Yusuke broke up with Keiko, but why?

Across the room, Hiei's eyes were glazed as he stared at his paper. Numbers. Squiggles. Incomprehensible words. All of these bombarded him and he didn't know where to begin. Koenma thought Hiei actually knew how to do this stuff? Honestly, Hiei was raised by bandits who could barely speak and were always drunk. Who would have taught him?

Surely Koenma had noticed the distinct fact that Hiei never learned to read! But that would have made Hiei irritated because someone would know. But this stupid supposed mission, if it could be called that, was putting that fact to the test. Koenma needed to suffer a slow and painful death, Hiei thought, unable to tear his mind away from the gloom settling in.

He was doomed and it was all the fault of an inanimate object beating him again. Stupid paper. Stupid words.

**-Elsewhere- **

Keiko sat upon the edge of the school roof, staring off at the streets of Tokyo. How many months had it been since she had heard his voice? Her heart yearned for him. But she had shoved him away. She should have placed more trust in him. She realized this now.

Looking down at the small book in her hand, she signed her name to the last page. She had filled the entire thing up those long months without him. Normally a person who planned everything in advance there was no longer anything to plan. She had no future without him, and that was the way things were.

A tear, she blinked. The salty liquid rolled down her cheek, but the heat emitting from her feverish face dried it right away. Her lips were dry and cracked, her face no longer the pretty thing it once was. Her eyes were puffy and red from constantly crying, and lately her perfect grades had taken a plunge, which led to being kicked off the student council.

Being kicked from the student council had led her to sitting where she was at that very moment. She hadn't known she would do it, even as she wrote it in the notebook. The clouds rolled in as she sat there, and hours passed by—or was it minutes? She couldn't tell anymore—and she found herself clueless as to where to go next.

"I loved you," she whispered into the unforgiving wind that tore at her, pulling her short hair from its restraints and whipping it into her face. As she stood on the edge, her unstable legs wobbled slightly. Coordination wasn't easy when she was so distraught. "I... loved... you..."

**-Elsewhere- **

Hiei shot up from his chair in History class when he felt it. Koenma had said it would feel like a needle jabbing into his Jagan eye, and it did, but Koenma hadn't said it would feel like the needle then was being dragged painfully around in circles. The pain made him clutch his forehead and the bandana that covered his eye.

He wanted to pull the bandana off but he knew he couldn't. The teacher and the students were all staring at him. The teacher asked him if he was alright, but he ignored the distant question and left the room, searching for the source of the problem. His immediate thought was to check on Kagome, who had gotten a pass out of her classes to stay in band all day.

Hiei couldn't understand _why_, just that the band teacher was apparently related to Kagome somehow. Yet, that still didn't make sense as to why Kagome would stay in band all day, or why the school would even allow that. Well, she did faint, though. That had been most disturbing of all for Hiei.

**-Flashback- **

_"Good catch." The teacher had congratulated Hiei, who glared at said teacher for the off-hand comment. The teacher took the few steps and knelt by where Hiei was setting Kagome down. "If you do not wake within three seconds, I will dump water on you, Kagome." The teacher said, almost as if he knew Kagome personally. _

_Her eyes shot open and her body went stiff, but she hastily scooted away from Sesshoumaru. "I'm awake," she had said, her eyes wide. _

_Hiei wasn't sure what to think of the strange goings-on. But then the teacher said, "Hello, little sister." _

**-End Flashback- **

Kagome didn't even look remotely like the teacher so how could they be related? Hiei wondered. Aside from that, Hiei had realized that the teacher, Sesshoumaru, was a demon. The hair wasn't dyed, and the eyes were natural. It was confusing.

The dragging feeling on his eye pained him terribly, reminding him what he was doing. Unasked, his feet carried him to the stairs going up. He followed the halls to the band room and looked through the glass doors. Kagome was holding Sesshoumaru's hand to her stomach and he seemed awed as though there was something worth noticing there.

So it wasn't Kagome. But it would have been logical, since she was a witch. His feet carried him again in a different direction, and he didn't stop them even if he wasn't sure himself where he was going. What the hell was doing this to him? It hurt a lot, but it wasn't like when his Jagan was taking his life force and trying to take over his body at least.

He felt something moist on his palm and pulled his hand away from the bandana. Blood was smeared on the surface of his hand. Taking the tip of his fingers, he dragged them across the bandana and pulled them away. Blood followed... What was going on?

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**I'll be doing another "Reviews Recognition" like I did at the end ofchapter 55 in a few chapters. Be sure to review! The first review recognition covered chapters 1-50. This one will cover chapters 51-100. That's just crazy! But sexy crazy! Haha!**


	103. Mokuhi, My Enemy

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: D.I.F., your questions are being answered. As for the rest of you... prepare to be tortured! Haha! You won't know what happens to Hiei or Keiko for a few chapters! Oh I'm so evil... So evil, its good I don't own.**

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Chapter one hundred three: Mokuhi, My Enemy

**-Four Hours Earlier-**

Kagome watched Sesshoumaru suspiciously as he gave her and her nameless friend an orientation to the band class. His golden orbs weren't the same as they used to be and instead of calling her 'older' sister, he had called her 'younger' sister. There was truly something strange because she was sure he had asked her if he could consider her his 'older' sister, not younger.

Of course, she did have to take into account that Sesshoumaru might have been trying to be logical in the matter, considering it would have been rather awkward trying to explain how an eighteen year old pregnant woman was the older sister to someone who looked like they could be in their late twenties to earlier thirties. Indeed, he did look great for his age. What was he, over six hundred years?

But now, watching him, she saw a glint in his eyes that wasn't present all those years ago. There was something _there_ that he had seen, something he had lived through that he wanted, _no, needed_ to get off of his spirit, and it was clearly eating him alive just keeping it there. She wasn't sure how she knew this, just that she did, and the knowledge made her antsy.

Knowing this fact made her want to get out of her seat and walk over to him—to hug him and tell him it would be alright, that she would fix everything even if she didn't know how. She wanted to run her hands through his hair and hold him like she had months ago, feel his breath on her neck and his tears on her shoulder.

She wanted to be the one that was _there_ for him. She wanted to be the one that comforted him, heard his secrets and kept them. Even then, she had trouble paying attention to what he was saying. He was her teacher now she had to remember that. Their relationship would only be professional in both worlds. Of course, not that the infatuation—which had again sprouted—would go far.

She was sure that Seirra was at wherever his home was, living her life out with their children. With their daughter Mitsuko. Yes, Kagome knew of the daughter. She had learned about the child through translating the notebook partway. Kagome knew she ought to finish translating the scroll, but just couldn't bring herself to do it ever. She didn't even want to open the book that held the notebook where she was transcribing the translations because it meant delving into the past again—a place where she was forbidden to go.

Who else had survived to the modern world? Had Inuyasha? Ryuichi? Shippou? What about Sango and Miroku? Of course they didn't survive, but did those two ever have children, or were they killed in the end? Did their descendants live to the modern world, and even if they did, would they know that their parents had fought valiantly in a seemingly pointless battle for good and evil over a jewel that could essentially be their downfall?

These traitorous thoughts all made her worry. What if that _thing_, that glint in his eyes... what if it meant that no one else had survived? What if somehow even he was changed?

The sound of a bell ringing brutally interrupted her thoughts, much to her applaud. It could not have been any better timed. Her nameless friend would go on to his next class and she... yes, she would be able to stay with Sesshoumaru and demand to know whether or not he was the only remaining survivor. If she were strong enough, she might have even tried to strangle the answers out of him, but of course that would have been just a tad more than rude, so she wouldn't do that.

As soon as Hiei was gone, she smiled at Sesshoumaru and he walked over to her. She was surprised to find herself swept in an enormous welcoming hug by him, rather than her being the one to initiate the hug. It was nice to know that someone would still hug her. Yusuke complained when she hugged him recently, saying she was so big it felt like he was hugging the earth.

But Sesshoumaru voiced no complaints. He just stood there hugging her and she felt his long fingernails combing her hair. Of course, his claws just seemed like fingernails; they always had. She knew he could clearly tell by the bulge in her stomach that pressed against his front that she was pregnant. She would have considered him dull if he didn't notice.

Yet he was not condemning her. The tears came and she found her fingers gripping the back of his polo shirt tightly, her arms trying to hold him tighter than before. She didn't want the moment to end. It was unfair that she should have a mother who was tainted. It was unfair that she should even remember this man before her as a ruthless killer in the Feudal Era. It was unfair that she should have been pulled through that well.

But as unfair as it was, these things were the truth in her life. Perhaps that was the only truth she had, but it was—strangely enough—not something she wanted. If she could give anything, it would be her strangely gotten life. No matter that she had lived through hell in the past, it wasn't her world and she didn't belong there. No matter that she loved people back there, it wasn't her world and she didn't belong there.

So where did she belong? She was like a ghost, clearly. She was a being of time, fated to be pulled back and forth by an irritating, gods-forsaken well at will. She was fated to falling off of cliffs, nearly drowning, meeting strange pink-haired demons, falling in love with silver haired demons with or without the cute ears.

What did fate have against her? Was she so terrible that she could not just live a life on her own? Was it so hard to just let her live steady? No, she had to remember she could not get tied down to anything. At the same time, she had to remember not to push everyone away. She had to be careful. It was time that she messed with, and just seeing Sesshoumaru there made her realize all this.

She held a bomb in her hands while she dealt with time. There would never be any release from her pain as long as the well controlled her life. Sealed or not, the well would take her when it was ready to screw her again. It was her enemy. Not Naraku. Not Mouryoumaru. Not the strange woman who had bitten into her neck. The bone-eaters well was her enemy, and one she would never be able to defeat.

It would haunt her until the day she died; of this she had no doubt. Perhaps it would even be the one that killed her. No, not just perhaps. She _knew_ it would be the death of her. After all, it was the bomb she held. It was ticking away the hours until her death. And Mokuhi, her guardian angel... He too was her enemy, because he kept her alive.

If only she knew that it was her silent guardian standing right in front of her. If only she knew it was him that hugged her. If only she knew... there was so much more to learn...

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**Ah yes... my trademark saying... That's... just... crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	104. Softball Throw

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Stop me from updating... Don't let me push the button... Please...(don'town...).**

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Chapter one hundred four: Softball Throw

"Tell me, Kagome... Tell me what now..." Sesshoumaru's voice was but a mere whisper in her ear. Even still, it calmed her soul and each word he said drained away a piece of her tension. She looked up at him, sniffling a bit before actually opening her eyes so he could look into them. They were once more that strange shifting color, like a spectrum that had no intention of choosing which color it liked best.

Kagome shook her head and looked away from him, sniffing slightly again before sighing. Even though she had no doubt he wouldn't be surprised to know of anything she might have ever suffered, she couldn't bring herself to spit up her secrets. She kept secrets, she didn't tell them. Wasn't that the whole point of being a Secret-Keeper? To lock away one's own problems just to help the rest of the world?

She didn't know for sure, and she doubted she would ever find out now that Ka was just a child in her stomach, barely five months old now. She was a thief. She stole. She had to remember that at least, and thieves were not nice—even though not being nice was rude. It would take some time, but eventually she would master it. After all, she had managed to master knocking the arrow to the string, hadn't she?

Whether or not she could shoot straight was not brought into account at this point in time. Half the time she was lucky enough to have someone take her bow away before she managed to kill one of her friends with it. It was like her cooking...very bad.

"It is nothing, Sesshoumaru. Thank you for the hug." Kagome told him, wiping her moist eyes on Yusuke's shirtsleeve. The clothes she wore to keep her pregnancy a secret were not her own. None of them fit. Slowly her strange and creepy Tuna Dream was coming true. All she needed was to be in the dreaded math class and have her teacher turn into a tuna, and everything would be perfect.

Oh, and it had to be raining. Gushing.

Sesshoumaru reached his hand up and brushed away the tears from her cheek. "My big sister should not cry," he whispered, proving she had been right. He did say 'little sister' entirely to thwart strange questions. There was no way she could be his older sister, after all, at least by human standards. Surely though, Sesshoumaru would realize that her nameless friend was not a human. If she had noticed, he should have as well.

"I'm not crying, I just got something in my eye," Kagome replied, not feeling quite as guilty about lying. Yusuke was quickly becoming a revered teacher to her. She actually sounded truthful to herself instead of it sounding like a lame excuse. However, the fact that his shirt was soaked in her tears begged to differ that there was 'something in her eye'.

Sesshoumaru chuckled. "Yes, indeed." He nodded his head sagely before smoothing her bangs away from her face. She looked up to him again and realized for the first time there was something more than just the glint in his eyes that was off. Now was when she realized what that second thing was.

Her hand lifted, as though of it's own volition, to his face to trace where the maroon stripes had been, searching for the make up that covered them. Her fingers came away clean and she glared up at him half-heartedly. "What happened to you?" she demanded, pulling her body away and pointing her finger at him accusingly. "You're not Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "Do you honestly think I could have gotten a job with my markings showing?" he asked her. "The hair and eyes were pushing it, but I had to learn to cover them up. The best way to do that was with a witch incantation." Well, it did make sense, she thought. She shrugged and accepted this as a plausible excuse before sitting in his office chair with a sigh. "It must be hard on your back to be pregnant." Sesshoumaru thought aloud, achieving a small glare of irritation from the vine-swinging moody woman.

"I had no idea I'd bloat out like this in the fifth month. I hardly looked more than my regular skinny self last month about this time!" Kagome admitted carelessly, but just as swiftly changed the subject. "So you're a music teacher, huh? I would have guessed you were some powerful King or something."

Sesshoumaru chuckled again and said, "Go figure, huh? Inuyasha is the businessman. I'm just not into that sort of thing." He scratched the back of his neck, his eyes smiling down at her as she slumped further into relaxing in his desk chair. He wondered what she would think if he told her about how people considered him a god but on second contemplation decided to keep that to himself at least until the baby was born.

There was no need for her to have a heart attack, of which he had no doubt she would. She was like that. She just seemed to like to die at the most inopportune moments. Damn women and their bad timing. "What about a demonstration?" she asked him curiously. "I can't help but notice you have both arms. I won't ask how, since I know you'll tell me." She seemed very confident in that, and he knew she was right.

However, that did by no means make him some sort of 'say jump, I do' person. He reached out and ruffled her hair with the arm that had grown back long ago. "And what makes you think I'm going to? I haven't changed so much that I will obey your orders."

She glared at him, trying to push away his hand, only half succeeding before her hair was totaled. She tried to bring it back to a semblance of order. "You're... you're..." She appeared at a loss for words, so he decided to help her out and whispered, "Evil?"

"Yes!"

"Good. I enjoy giving out detentions and tormenting my students with homework that makes no sense at all to what I teach. I learned to do that in college." He told her. "It's a conditioned response. Every time I see a student, evil little thoughts go through my head at how best to—hey, stop that!"

She was tossing pencils from his top desk drawer at him. "Teachers are evil! I knew it! They do plot our demise!" She growled playfully and he couldn't help but like the side of her he was seeing. It made him feel more related to her. More like they really were siblings. He was by no means in love with her, unless familial love counted.

Sesshoumaru laughed and ducked the eraser, but it bounced off the wall and hit him in the back of the head anyway. She had surprising aim when she was throwing things with her hand—he recalled watching her on the girl's softball teams when she was younger.

He knew that at the point in her life that she was at, she still did not know how to use a sword, hand-to-hand combat, or her bow to seriously protect herself. Not that anyone would dare attack her so soon after he had revived her. His scent would linger in her blood, the venom never quite dissipating for at least a year.

And her magic? Apparently if she was blowing up toilets... that was a no-brainer. She had zip control over that.

"If you don't give me a demonstration to what you can teach, I swear I'll do it!" she teased him, picking up a chalk eraser from the tiny chalkboard tray in his office. Yes, he would look very pretty with a big yellow square on his face.

"You wound me." He attempted a dejected look, but failed miserably because the grin was plastered on his face and would not go away for the life of him.

She giggled. "And you sound like you hung around too much with Miroku. 'Wound you' indeed!"

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	105. FantasieImpromptu

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Yay! Another chapter... You're right... resisting the pull is futile... Must... update... Don't own.**

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Chapter one hundred five: Fantasie-Impromptu

She had to admit, he played very beautifully. She had never heard anything like it before! Not even in ballet with her father when she was younger, before her father died, had she ever heard something so beautiful. The way he so easily played the large instrument, the reed bow sliding across the strings so quickly... she fell in love with the music—if that was even possible.

There was nothing about a demon that made them better than a human, he knew. In fact, there was everything about a demon that made them have to work harder to grasp things than humans because they could live for an eternity. They had more time to screw up. Being a demon did not make them more coordinated, and it did not make them drive a vehicle any faster or better.

These things came with practice and even then the whole 'I can drive Tokyo streets at a hundred miles an hour' was a ridiculous notion because traffic riddled against that idea, and driving on the sidewalks was just slightly non-permissible.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes slightly and continued to play the cello for his private audience—his older sister. He would never admit it—his pride would never allow for it—but he was slightly nervous. What if he screwed up? The feeling was new considering he had played in countless concerts for _Rei's_ dance recitals.

He played an array of musical instruments and wasn't sure what had made him decide to show Kagome the cello, but it was still a gorgeous instrument and he felt it echoed his soul perfectly. The tones demanded nothing less than full attention and when he used the reed bow to play...

One look at Kagome's peaceful face and he knew he had taken her to a place no other could. It made him happy to know that his music had that soothing effect on her. She was a special person to him, and he would stop at nothing to make her nothing short of completely comfortable. It was just something he couldn't _not_ do.

When Kagome was called over the loud speaker to report to the office, Sesshoumaru stopped playing—much to her disappointment—and excused himself from her presence momentarily. He went to call the office and explain the extenuating circumstances and apologize for her. It was at this time that he was glad to have made the extra effort to be _friendly_ to his fellow co-workers. She was allowed to stay.

It was the ever-dreaded 'f' action. He had been...dun dun dun... _friendly._ And likewise, hell had risen up and taken over his soul. Hell was heaven, and heaven was hell. For goodness sakes, he had been _nice_ over the phone. He had been civil! Kagome was smiling at that. Five hundred years had clearly done him some extraordinary good!

Now would be the best time to break out the Mission Impossible theme song and sneak the truth away...

When Sesshoumaru had come back—and of course the truth about his 'f' action was snuck away—Kagome was sitting at the piano in the front of the band room. Sesshoumaru saw her trying to place her fingers on the keys in the starting position of a song, but with all the songs in the world, he honestly couldn't guess which it was just by the starting position.

He sat next to her on the bench when she scooted over and watched her for a moment before she pushed the keys down. It was that first chord that made him recognize the song. The song always made him feel like his heart was speeding up and he should be running from some unknown danger at a frighteningly high speed.

Fantasie-Impromptu by Chopin was a beautiful song, but more of a song that felt composed to accompany someone's brutal chase into an alleyway before they managed to escape their aggressor for a temporary few moments before once more their aggressor came and they had to run again, heart beating furiously in their chests, an insane cackle following them as their axe-murderer stalked them down dark streets and even darker alleys.

Then the victim was chopped down, and the song slowed down, a mere whisper of the death cadence it had once been as the life fluids bled out. Frightening as it was, Sesshoumaru was surprised Kagome could even play an instrument at all. But she played it, and her fingers—though naturally clumsy—moved flawlessly, as though some otherworldly being was guiding her.

It was the first sign that told him she had prior experience. The second was that she kept her eyes closed when she played. Someone had taught her the piano. Sesshoumaru couldn't keep an eye on her every single day in her life, so he didn't know who gave her that experience, or when it had happened.

But no otherworldly being guided her fingers. It was Kagome who was playing that death cadence—something that matched her surprisingly well. She was always running from death, even from birth. She had yet to meet her finale though. The man with the axe had yet to catch up to her.

And so it was with honesty that Sesshoumaru could ask where she had learned to play and not already know that answer. He nudged her shoulder and she looked at him with smiling eyes, as though the death cadence had not affected her. As though she were not running in fear at that very moment from the thought of death.

She answered his question before he could even ask. "My father always wanted the best for me, you know. When I asked for ballet, together we went and he joined the class with me instead of just watching me fumble on my own. When I asked for music, he bought me a piano and paid for tutoring lessons for both of us. My teacher said I was musically inclined, since I had mastered Chopin, but I didn't think so. I had only been playing for a year, so I knew I could do better..."

"And..?" Sesshoumaru goaded her into continuing.

She paused and looked back at the piano. She was still smiling, but what she said next seemed strange coming from her lips. This part of the story he knew about at least. "Then there was a fire...and the piano burned in it. It was only wood after all. I promised myself I would never forget how to play. I kept that promise, but... Now that's the only thing I remember how to play. I don't know what the notes are that I'm playing... I just remember the movements."

"So you kept your eyes closed so you wouldn't get confused." Sesshoumaru understood her a little better then. It was like what she was doing for everything else. She kept so many promises because she did so blindly. Sometimes, it appeared, she didn't even know she kept them until later.

Kagome clapped her hands on her knees and stood, walking a few feet away before turning to him and opening her arms wide. She placed a broad smile on her face; it reached her eyes, which were shining like emeralds in their holders. "So then," she started, but suddenly her hand moved to her stomach and she said, "Oh..." Her face was smiling, as though she felt something rather funky there.

"What is it? Please do not go into premature labor in my band room." He teased her gently, but she waved a hand for him to come over by her. He stood and walked over and his hand was grabbed suddenly and placed underneath her shirt and on her lower stomach. He felt a soft thumping there.

"Do you feel that?" she asked him, and he could only nod, awed. He did not notice Hiei look into the room through the door. He had never felt the baby kick on a woman before. His wife had only had one of his children and he wanted absolutely no part of any other child that his wife birthed. He never touched his wife more than necessary, so that left 'feeling the baby kicking' out of the question.

His wife was a disgusting woman. Vile. He would not touch her.

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**Please contain your excitement. There are those who need to be recognized. I love all reviews, but there are** (for the rest of speech, please view chapter 55) 

**Jesi.  
Ryutsu** (hehe!)** Ryukotsusei.  
Iritwi** (haha!)** Iridescent Twilight.  
Dark Inu Fan.  
Rose of Shadows.  
Charroum The Lady of Death.  
Aroching death.  
TheLightintheDarkness.**

**There is no particular order to the previous. Your persistence in reviewing **(though persistence is hardly anything I graded on)**, the overall helpfulness and/or humor you brought me through your reviews are what made me decide you deserve more recognition. Perhaps in fifty chapters I will do another. Blah, blah, blah. **(View chapter 55 for speech.).** Try to make it on the next list!**

**Thank you for 100 chapters of excellent reviews everyone!** (well, technically 105 but...)


	106. Die Sango

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: We broke six hundred reviews! Good job everyone! Oh look, I just got another review! Haha! By the way, if you takethe firstleft down the hallway to your right, walk seven paces forward, look to your left and find a door and go through that, go straight down the corridor through the door at the end, go down the stairs to your right and get off on level B8, walk straight to the red doors of the elevator, take that elevator down to level 7H and you'll find your army. I, being as wicked crazy as I am, sent them to the seventh level of hell. I do not own the seventh level of hell...yet...**

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Chapter one hundred six: Die Sango

**-Feudal Era- **

Sango did not know why she felt so bad, but as she sat and stared at her reflection in the lake, she could only feel misery settling in her heart. Ryuichi was three thousand years old. He had a son. Did he have a wife? _Was_ Sango some sort of Demon's Whore? The thought made her feel disgusted with herself and she slapped the reflection of herself, feeling dirty in the worst way.

When the water stilled, she saw her father and brother standing next to her reflection, both wearing equally discouraging looks on their faces. It brought a tear to her eye and she squinted her eyes shut, hugging her knees to her body. She found the times she had lain with that... that _thing_... coming to her mind and she couldn't help the strangled sob from surging forth.

Yes, she, once a proud Demon Slayer, had allowed disgrace come onto her family by laying with the man who had dragged her through village after village, parading her like some sort of defeated prize and killing those who would try to help her in her plight. She had allowed that man... no, he was no man! And she had allowed herself to be tricked by him into thinking they might have something more.

All because they had lay with each other a couple days after her period was over. She had been fooled by him. Three thousand years was a very long time. He had said he was two thousand nine hundred ninety nine in one of their random splurges into conversation—which was in its self very rare—but he had never mentioned having a family.

He had never mentioned having children. Wasn't that an important fact to overlook?

No matter how hard she tried to get over the fact, it still remained that she had _thought_ she had something special for once in her life. Sure, Ryuichi was perverted just slightly, but at least he wasn't going around asking people to bear his children like Miroku. Ryuichi had gone how long without having intercourse? But what was his motive for doing that? Did he seclude himself?

And how did Kagome meet him? Why did the two end up in the Snake River? These were questions that she wanted answers to but was sure she would never receive them.

She heard the footsteps behind her and turned her head, expecting to see Ryuichi. Instead, another demon was there. It wasn't Akio, Ryuichi's apparent son, but a large centipede demon. Sango swore, grabbing her sword. It just had to happen when she was without her boomerang, didn't it? But if she could kill the demon, she could use its bones and make a new boomerang, she thought.

Fat chance. Swords were close encounter weapons.

The demon stared down at her hungrily for a moment before sliding around her, squeezing her body tightly. Her bones began to snap from the pressure. She hadn't even had a chance to react. She knew when her neck snapped because she could no longer feel the pain in her body, though bone after bone continued to snap and break.

How ironic that just before she would die, she had been humiliated by a demon in front of her kind, she had broken the code and essentially created a forbidden pairing by lying with Ryuichi, and she had disgraced herself and her family by doing that as well. She was tossed like a rag doll to the ground and the demon swept in for lunch.

Never would she have her revenge on Naraku. Never would she see Miroku again. Never would she defend Kagome again. Never again would she defy Ryuichi. Never again would she see Kirara, hold her and pet her.

**-Elsewhere- **

Ryuichi felt moisture on his cheeks and lifted his hand to them. Blood tears were pouring down his cheeks and when he looked at his son, he saw the same thing there. Isoo should have been back by then, but she wasn't. Isoo had left to go relieve herself, but certainly ten minutes should have been enough time to do that?

Akio swore, wiping away the red blood, creating smears on his cheeks. "Isoo!" He yelled, racing out of the small cave. Ryuichi was just behind him. Both knew perfectly well what the blood tears meant. They were the only type of demon that would ever shed these tears of blood, even if Akio was a mixed breed.

**-Human World- **

These Tears I Shed

/ Written by Rinay the first Secret-Keeper, found in the Scroll of Death /

These tears I shed  
These tears I shed for you  
I have lived my life  
I would be lost without you  
Without your spirit  
Without you beside me  
My life is meaningless  
I need your guidance  
Please do not cry  
These tears of blood  
Leave red streaks from your eye  
Clean it up just because  
I don't want to know  
I meant something  
I meant something to you  
Your heart was mine  
These tears I shed  
These tears I shed for you  
The one I have loved  
A forbidden love  
Is all we have  
But now we have less  
I died, what a mess  
My blood has been spilled  
From these veins they drain  
It is my fault  
Forbidden we were kept  
These villagers detained  
Stole me away  
Chained you up  
Kept you from my side  
Without you I would be lost  
Without you I am lost  
Without you I die  
Here I bleed  
And you bleed from your eye  
Your forbidden love  
My life of sorrow  
A Secret-Keeper lives  
In nothing but shadow  
Here I meet my end  
They say a thousand years  
Only because of the forbidden love  
Which I am bound to end up in  
But I could have lived forever  
By your side  
And past your end

He had torn off the bandana and gone into the bathroom only to find that the Evil Eye that was placed in his forehead was crying tears of blood. He had no idea _why_, but then again, recently nothing ever seemed to work right for him and he didn't know any "why" answers. These tears created a trail of blood between his brows and down the sides of his nose, creating two separate tracks.

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**This is one of those important author notes... yeah... so read up! I thought people would realize Kagome does have OTHER classes to get to and that if she wasn't in them, people would become suspicious and think she was skipping... So yeah, that's why she was called to the office. That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	107. Teach Me To Read

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Free hit counter anyone? Yes! Hahaha! Over 300 hits since they installed it free! ... That means I better start getting some serious reviewage. Because if I feel this story isn't getting enough interest from the public, just like all of my stories, it will be removed. No sense in keeping a useless story around that no one is reading. I own a free hit counter! Kind of, sort of...**

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Chapter one hundred seven: Teach Me To Read

It just wouldn't stop hurting! Memories flashed in his head of a woman with brown eyes and a man with a single crimson eye surrounded in a pink haze, almost like candy, two kind people who looked at him with concerned eyes. The man had a smile on his face and a cloth covering an empty eye socket. He was a demon, and she was a human.

Shaking his head, he turned the faucet on, scrubbing his face off. The blood tears continued to come and the pain remained, still blinding him half way. With as many paper towels as he could get, he balled them up and tried to stop the flow of the tears as more memories, long forgotten, arose.

_'Instead, the blood tears are for any acquaintance, whether or not they were close.' Said a pink haired man. _

Blood tears? Did the memories have something to do with his Evil Eye and why it was bleeding? Pain riddled his mind, making him gasp for breath and double over. There were more memories to come, and they spoke of the blood tears, people he knew getting hurt, and the correlation of it all.

When he started vomiting because the pain was too intense, the last memory came before the pain finally subsided. His breathing was heavy and he had a foul, metallic taste in his mouth, but there was no time for him to rinse it out. The memory made him remember why he hated to learn the name of people and it made him remember why he secluded himself for so long.

He closed his real eyes and searched out with his Evil Eye, looking for the distraught aura. It was on the roof. Everyone he met would cause him pain. That was why he had chosen a life alone. Hadn't he learned his lesson young? Then why was he bothering to save the idiot who was in danger? Stupid code of honor.

He raced towards the roof and made it just in time to see Keiko jumping off the edge. There were no thoughts in his head of being a hero, nor were there thoughts in his head of not saving her. He raced to her and, without any thought about it whatsoever, grabbed her wrist to keep her from the painful death she had chosen. When he realized what he had done, he cursed his code of honor for it. It was always getting in the way of his being evil!

Keiko looked up into the crimson eyes of Yusuke's friend Hiei. Her own eyes were blurred red because of the crying she had done but she could make out the Jagan on his forehead and it appeared to be bloody. "Let me go," she begged. "Without Yusuke, I don't want to live! So let me go!"

"Sorry, can't do that woman." Hiei told her. Oh, he did wish he could. She was an annoyance, but his conscience wouldn't allow him to just let her fall. Something told him that she really didn't want to fall, but was caught up in the moment. Keiko had a different planner for each day, so not being planned like she seemed to be just seemed so very wrong.

Hiei levered his weight, pulling her back up onto the rooftop. Keiko fell into his awkward embrace, sobbing into his shoulder. Unsure what to do, he patted her head as though she were a puppy of sorts. He had, after all, never really been given the opportunity to comfort people and knowing how to do that wasn't really in his nature. It wasn't a natural gift.

Keiko began to gush to the extremely uncomfortable fire apparition everything. "H-h-he broke up with m-m-me! I l-l-loved him and he b-b-broke up with me!" The distraught woman apparently didn't realize that Hiei could, at any moment, run her through with his very hand. That was not to say that his morals would allow him to do that, just that he could do it. And there she was, completely drenching his grey tee-shirt.

"Uh..." Hiei stammered, patting her head again. It was even more awkward for him since he had to reach up to do that. Again he cursed his unlucky height. "There... there...um... Yeah, nothing to cry about..."

Unfortunately she only began to sob worse and he was feeling light headed and woozy. "I'm ugly and I'll never ever be worthy of anyone if I can't even have him!" Keiko said, blaming herself. She should, considering it was her fault, but her entire world was falling apart. She needed stability and order, but everything in her life was like it had been put in a blender and the puree button had been pushed.

"Of course you are..." Hiei agreed, hoping he was agreeing with something he should, not something bad. Women were unpredictable. But she had spoken that sentence so fast that he couldn't be sure what she said and so had just said whatever in response and hoped it was the right thing.

"No!" Keiko sobbed, the word being long and drawn out. She seemed really stressed out. There were rings under her eyes aside from the initial tear puffs and her hair was a complete and utter mess. Her skirt had a few tears in it at the bottom to further prove her distress and she really didn't smell all that wonderful either. Her shirt wasn't tucked in perfectly and the jacket wasn't buttoned because the buttons were gone.

However, none of this really affected Hiei. He was quickly loosing his patience with the woman and finally he snapped. He pushed her away from her and slapped her, guessing accurately that what she needed was a good kick in the rear back onto the road of sanity. She fell and he said, "Look, I don't give a damn about you and Yusuke breaking up. Do you realize there are worse things to live through than a little break up?"

Keiko gasped up at him, sniffling, but finally her old intelligent light came back to her eyes and the confusion began to fade. She was realizing the truth in his words and surprisingly that was the longest she had ever heard him speak. "I'm sorry." She whispered, looking away from him. "You're right. I've been selfish."

He was amazed at the transformation of the woman before him. One minute she was suicidal, the next she was trying to rectify herself. Instead of allowing the entire 'rescue' scene seem like it was purely done out of good morals, he decided to twist things up and make himself look like the bad guy once more. "I will keep this event silent, and in return you will teach me to read."

It was a severe blow to his pride to make that statement, but he at least knew he had her confidence to keep it silent. She had seen first hand how terrible he could be when he had kidnapped her to get at Yusuke that very first meeting. She wouldn't want to cross swords with him again, not that she would ever be a match for him of course. And by saying that, he was able to make it seem like he had saved her only for his own benefit, which of course he would never save a person without a twisted reason. Of course not.

Keiko nodded slightly and stood, wiping her eyes off on her sleeve. She was doing her best not to break down right there, but all she wanted was to curl up and die still. Since she could be of use to Hiei, she wasn't sure if the demon would allow her to die. "I suppose it should not be surprising that you cannot read." She stated nervously, wondering what in heavens name made her insane enough to try crying on _his_ shoulder. "You must have spent your childhood training and—" Nerves were what made her talk.

He interrupted, "Shut up and meet me after the final bell of the day tolls. You will arrive at the corner of thirty-first and eighth streets at four-thirty and wait for me there. If you do not come I will come find you. If you attempt to kill yourself again, I will see to it you are brought back to life." Of course, he had no such power, but she didn't know that. Sometimes a bluff was a marvelous thing. She was quivering in her shoes and he was able to feel powerful and evil again. She would meet him; of this he had no doubt.

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**You know what? FREE HIT COUNTER! Crazy! AND SEXY CRAZY! I love free hit counters! Too bad I still will have to subscribe to get a stable free hit counter... But until then... FREE HIT COUNTER! Yes, this was an important author note. Can't you see that?**


	108. Scarred Stomach

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Important author note at the bottom. Thanks for reviewing, faithful people who actually care! I don't own.**

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Chapter one hundred eight: Scarred Stomach

To say she was nervous was an understatement. After Hiei had left her on the roof with a brief, "Clean yourself up, woman," she had hastened to leave the school and head home. She didn't care if she was skipping because when she thought about it—now that she was able to think straight again, that slap had done wonders for her mind—she really did value her life and she wouldn't put it past the small demon to kill her.

After all, who was there to protect her but herself now? She couldn't claim that Yusuke would protect her anymore because she had essentially shoved away any and all protection he might have given by not showing trust in him. Oh, how she missed him though. But she wouldn't think of that. Hiei was right; no one cared that she was hurting over a loss she had made anymore. She had to move on.

But she had never expected that reality would be thrown back in her face so harshly. She supposed that too should have been expected because there were many people who had tried to get her to come to grips with what had happened and a slap in the face had done what talking could not.

It was ironic because it was a slap in the face that Yusuke had to endure so much.

As she showered, cleaning her appearance back up, and then dressed, she recalled the very first time she had ever met Hiei. He had kidnapped her to get at Yusuke, but he hadn't expected her to wake up so soon at the warehouse. When she had defied him, he had given her one warning not to do it again. When she defied him again, he had become irritated and then he was in front of her and he punched her in the gut.

She lifted her shirt to look at the mark that remained even after nearly four years since the occasion. The claw on his thumb had jabbed into her skin. When Botan had been trying to hold back the fake Jagan from opening, the healing power had healed the minor wound. She had learned the hard way that Hiei was not one to be messed with lightly. And now, though, she was sure he wasn't as bad as he made himself out to be.

The scar reminded her of how bad he could be, but the fact that he saved her begged to differ that he was completely savage.

In light of his information, she decided she would change too. If he could change from a bloodthirsty demon to someone with at least some semblance of morals, enough to save a suicidal person, then she could change too. She would learn to place her trust in people no matter how perverted or strange they got to be.

And she would be honorable and keep Hiei's name out of the excuse she would later give her mother. She wouldn't tell her mother, or anyone else, that she was tutoring someone who should by all means have learned how to read already.

"Keiko!" She heard her mother call through the bathroom door. "Are you alright in there, sweetie?" If anyone knew how distressed Keiko had been over the past half-year, it was her mother. Her mother had been there to try to comfort her and ease the pain of the loss. "Keiko?"

Keiko threw open the bathroom door, pulling her shirt down again. "I'm fine, mom." She said, plastering a fake smile on. She dreaded the fact that she had only five minutes to get to the said corner now—she had spent too much time in the shower. "I just have someone to go meet."

Her mother looked at her clothes disapprovingly, but understood that Keiko wore them only because her better clothes were in a state of duress. The clothes were slightly small on Keiko, fitting her body tight, but they were still at least semi-respectable. They were just an older uniform, short on her legs, tight on her bosom.

"Well, who are you going to meet, and what time will you be home?" Her mother inquired, fixing the tie on the uniform. The jacket, at least, was large enough still to fit properly and cloak her upper body. Yes, her mother was strict and it was this that made Keiko the perfectionist that she was. "Do you need money?"

"Money would be great, mom. I'm going to tutor a student in how to read. I don't know how long I'll be." Keiko saw her mother's face relax and felt bad for partially lying to the woman, since she knew her mother thought the 'student' was just a little kid. Well, technically it was a little kid since Hiei was so short, but Keiko actually didn't find the pun funny at all.

"Alright, sweetie. Let me get my purse. How much do you think you'll need?" Keiko bounced on her heels. Her mother was so slow! Keiko was in a rush! Looking at her watch, she saw she was now officially late for meeting with Hiei. She hoped he wouldn't come looking for her. It would be hard to explain to her mother how some hot, crimson eyed demon didn't know how to read. Wait, did she just think hot? Damn it, no she didn't!

"I know it seems like a lot, but could I get two hundred dollars? It would cover the cab and something to eat."

Her mother glanced at her suspiciously but pulled out a bundle of money from her purse. "I expect you home by ten." Her mother said slowly, her lips pursed in suspicion.

Keiko snatched the money and pulled out her duffle-bag from under her bed, shoving books on reading and writing in it. She just left the clothes in the bag from the last time she used the bag for a sleepover. The clothes were still clean but she didn't have time to put them away and she knew if she took them out, her mother would make her put them away.

Grunting as she threw the bag over her shoulder, she raced towards the door. "Sorry, mom, I'm late already!" Keiko told her mother, knowing her mother was surprised when Keiko just slammed out the front door. It was something Keiko never did before. But Keiko didn't have time left! She was twenty minutes late! Normally she was at least twenty minutes early for meetings so important.

It just went to show how screwed up her inner time clock had become in the past six months. It was hard to imagine that she had been separated from Yusuke for so long, but now she would be spending her first winter without him soon. The winter was closing in on them.

Keiko tried to get a cab to stop for her, but none of them would and so instead she just took off down the street, shoving the money in her jacket pocket. The bag was heavy, but she had carried worse. Reading the street signs, she wondered why Hiei had chosen her. Probably because she already knew that he would kill her if she told anyone. He wouldn't have to make an extra effort to prove that fact.

She bounced on her heels, looking at her watch as she waited for a chance to cross the street. She was almost forty minutes late! "Damn it," she swore, racing into traffic despite that she knew it was a bad idea. Dodging car front after car front, she made it to the other side and continued running, her shoes slapping the pavement.

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**Important: Chapter 106 got 46 hits, but only 6 reviews. That's telling me the public is not interested in this story enough to review. Chapter 107 got 21 hits, but only 5 reviews. Starting to get peeved here. I will remove this story if people don't start caring enough to leave a review. Yes, I realize people think that I should be writing because I want to not because I get reviews, but the truth is... who doesn't want to know that people enjoy their work? _Start reviewing_ if you care enough about this story and want it to _stay on the web_.**

**_Thank you to those who do review. If I ever take this off the web, you can count on getting the chapters through email.  
_**(so long as I have your email, of course).


	109. Telepathy Works

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: "Ryutsu, please stop! Get that update button away from me!" T.K. yelled, waving a stick at the update button as though to whack it away. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her face turned away, though so she had no aim whatsoever. "I don't own, okay? So get it away!"**

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Chapter one hundred nine: Telepathy Works

**-Elsewhere- **

Hiei stared down at the corner, waiting for her to appear. He was, of course, not standing suspiciously on the corner waiting for her; instead he was on the roof of a nearby pizzeria. Since it was only two floors up, he was able to view down below easily and would be able to jump into the alley way and approach her easy enough.

She was late. He didn't have to be able to know what time it was in order to know that she was late. But considering the fact that she was human and all, he supposed he would just have to forgive her for it. Humans never could keep appointments. He would give her another few minutes to appear and if she did not, he would then search her out.

Clearly she was afraid of him though, and he knew this. The fact that she had broken up with Yusuke only served to his advantage as well, because she wouldn't be tempted to tell Yusuke about Hiei's inability to read. She would know that she was going to have to take care of herself, and if she didn't it would be her end.

Not that Hiei minded, of course. But he did mind that tiny fact that he was going to learn to read finally and if something happened to her, it was a sore chance missed. He couldn't believe he had twisted things around like that though. It was an exciting turn of events and he liked it. He had been trying for six months to figure out reading, but had no progress.

Now, he would make progress.

Just when he was about to go start searching for her, he heard a car horn honking loudly and looked down at the disturbance. The woman he was waiting for was in front of the car apologizing hastily, but then she continued dodging traffic until she was on the other corner where she bent over double, holding her stomach. He wondered if she had done that at every intersection in order to get to him quickly and found amusement in the thought.

He frightened her enough that she would risk her life in order to quickly get where she needed to be. Another disturbance stopped him from jumping down from the roof into the alleyway so he could approach her. A boy approached Keiko and began talking with her. Hiei quickly found amusement in the event as he watched Keiko squirming under pressure.

Removing the bandana from his head, he opened the Evil Eye and easily broke the labyrinth of Keiko's mind, opening a way for him to speak to her telepathically. Grinning rather sinisterly, he thought-spoke to her, _Get rid of him._

"Eep!" Keiko yelped, surprised to hear Hiei's voice in her mind. She should have known, though. She looked left and right, trying to locate him but she couldn't. Humans never thought to look up, and it was this that almost made Hiei break out into laughter. One of those evil "Kukuku"ing chuckles. "Um, Hinako, really I've got to get going." She hastily told the boy. "Perhaps we can discuss things tomorrow?"

"But it's important." The boy, Hinako, insisted. "They asked me to take your place on the student body! I was just on my way over to your house to talk to you."

"Yeah, well I'm busy right now!" Keiko told him. "Please, Hinako. They really didn't kick me off of the council anyway. I left the council of my own will."

_That's not true,_ Hiei whispered in her mind, grinning sadistically as he read her true line of thoughts. _You were told to turn in your resignation._

_Get out of my head!_ Keiko demanded, her eyes narrowing at the poor unsuspecting Hinako. She was smart enough to realize that if he could read her thoughts, she could speak to him inside her mind. Just because someone had the power to invade another's mind didn't make it right to do so! She could sense trouble for herself in the near future if Hiei was able to read her thoughts.

_But unfortunately for you, I do have this power and I am going to exploit it. Get rid of the human._ She could hear Hiei's amusement in his thoughts. He was humored by her annoyance! Well, go figure! Didn't it just beat all that she would be saddled with some idiot demon who couldn't even read, and she was the one who had to tutor him?

"Are you sure it's okay?" Hinako asked her. Keiko realized something then and felt her eyebrow quivering in annoyance. Hinako was eyeing her legs. Were all men perverts? Dang it all anyway! Yusuke used to do that too!

"Of course I'm sure." She snapped. "Now if you'd stop eyeing me up like candy?" At least he had the grace to blush as he jetted off.

_You're not candy, so why would he want to eye you like it?_ Hiei questioned her, enjoying the fact that no matter how many times she looked around her, she couldn't find him.

_I take it you don't have much experience with women? Now show yourself or I'm just going to go home. Eek, its Yusuke and Kuwabara!_ Hiei watched as she left the corner to race into the alleyway. He also took notice of the fact that Yusuke and Kuwabara had noticed her running into the alley as though someone were chasing her.

Great. That's just what he needed. Two spirit detectives on the case. He'd be a laughing stock if they found out he couldn't read.With a resigned sigh, he jumped down into the alleyway before the two decided to investigate and grabbed Keiko around the waist, jumping back up the roof with her. He had to _touch a human_. He would have to cleanse himself with ammonia or something.

Kagome came to his mind. She was human too, but it wasn't the same. She was different because she was a witch. It was a very lame excuse, but it worked nonetheless and eased his mind of the guilt. He felt bad about ditching Kagome after school. She had made him promise to walk with him after school, but he decided he would make it up to her. Even if she did blow up his toilet.

Keiko peered down into the alleyway but Hiei pulled her back, shaking his head. Hiei knew the two humans were smart enough to look up for a disappeared person. With a suppressed sigh, she nodded and he grabbed her again, jumping up to the next roof, then the next, then the next. He couldn't wait to start learning to read.

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**See, it doesn't matter how fast I update, I'll still get the same amount of hits on each chapter that I would have gotten if I didn't update quickly. So apparently there are 400 people, give or take a couple, reading this, but only like... 10 reviewers at most. That's pathetic, not crazy.**


	110. Lesson One

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: The stick as she waved it at the update button ended up hitting the button wrong and POOF another uploaded chapter. "Shiiiiiiiitite." She complained. "I don't own."**

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Chapter one hundred ten: Lesson One

"Okay, before we begin," Keiko started, settling down on the other side of his island counter as she set out a notebook, a couple text books, and a pencil. "I didn't have time to make a schedule of coursework for us to follow, so for a while we'll just be winging it."

"Hn," was all Hiei gave for an answer.

"Japanese can be used to a limited extent in Korea, Taiwan, and some parts of Southeast Asia, so it's a good language for you to learn to read and write. Japanese syllables can be classified into five kinds. A vowel by itself. A consonant by itself. A consonant plus a vowel. A semi-vowel plus a vowel. A consonant, plus a 'y', plus a vowel. First I'll be teaching you the Roman way to read and write, and then we'll go to learn to write the actual language, okay?"

"Hn." She took it to mean 'Yes, I understand. You're an excellent teacher!' She guessed his vocabulary was in dire need of new words. _Don't count on it._ She heard in her mind and immediately that bubble was burst.

With a sigh, she continued. "In Japanese, verbs, adjectives, copulas—which are linking words--, and certain endings are inflected in number of categories. Japanese has many so-called "particles". They are used very frequently to show the grammatical relationship within a sentence of one word to another. Mastery of these particles is a key to the rapid learning of Japanese. Do you understand so far?"

"Hn."

"Okay, do I need to teach you to speak too?" she grumbled. "Yes or no? Do you understand or don't you understand?" Keiko asked him with a frown. She had to know whether or not he understood, or else what was the point of continuing forward?

"Just continue, woman. Stop with the incessant prattle." Hiei scorned her, crimson eyes glaring at her. She glared right back before deflating her ego and pride and sucking it all up. She would have to expect this kind of treatment, and just hope that he understood. Besides, it was her fault she was in this situation anyway, since she was the one who had annoyingly allowed him to rescue her from death. If she hadn't jumped in the first place, she would not have to worry about it.

"Punctuation is used in Japanese as it is in English." She started, but he held up his hand to stop her from speaking. "What is English?" he asked.

She blinked. "Another language..." Her eyes widened, "Don't you know even the basics of reading and writing?" He awarded her no answer, but he did glare. Oh how wonderful. She thought. She snapped her books shut and took his notebook and pencil, writing the English alphabet on it. "A." she said. "Capital A. Lowercase A. _A_ is for Apple, juicy and red."

She bit back a grin as he was finally starting to look interested. He looked like a little kid, excited to start kindergarten. "A." he said. "Capital A. Lowercase A."

She gave him the notebook and pencil, showing him how to fold his hand around it for best writing capabilities. "If you don't hold it properly, yet comfortably, your writing will always be sloppy." She explained. She tore out the page that she wrote on, setting it off to the side. A fresh new piece of paper was before him then. "Copy the letter A, both big and small letters."

She stood. "Where are you going, woman?" He inquired, looking at her before starting the task she set before him.

"I'll be right back. Just copy those two letters." She took the money her mother gave her and counted it once more before leaving for the door.

It took her ten minutes to find a store that held what she desired, but she managed to get a hold on the cards that she wanted in the aisle with the educational books. Then she stopped at the deli just down the street and picked up some food so she would have something to eat. She guessed she wouldn't be making her mother's curfew tonight since it was Hiei she was tutoring.

But her mother's rage was minor compared to whatever Hiei might do if she asked to leave by ten PM. Perhaps the world would be favorable for her and something cataclysmic would happen before ten, making it so she would be unable to go home anyway even if she wanted to. Or maybe Hiei would get angry at her for just leaving like that and when she returned to his apartment he would kill her?

Well, that certainly would cover the whole 'cataclysmic' part in _her_ world, even if in no one else's.

With the grocery bag in hand, she walked back to his apartment and entered it, walking over to see how he was doing. His first attempts at the letters were pathetic at best, looking like they were just scribbles, but gradually they got better and smaller until they looked like they were written by someone who had been writing their whole life.

She thought that was fantastic progress for just starting. She set the bag on his counter and took out the flash cards she had bought for him, and then took out the food she had bought. She pointed to the next letter, not complimenting him because she guessed he would find that demeaning. "B. Capital B. Lowercase B. _B_ is for banana."

**-Elsewhere- **

A rather peeved Kagome looked up at Hiei's apartment building, two violin cases in her hands. How dare he leave her at the school like that? He _did_ promise to walk her home after all! Oh, she was going to give him more than a blown up toilet that was for sure! And look, the wall had returned anyway! So his toilet was probably unbroken too!

She stomped her way into the building and headed for the elevator, riding it up to the ninth floor of the ten story apartment complex.

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**Holey crap, the hit counter went up majorly. Okay, to answer important questions posed by readers: **(don't expect this to happen often) 

**1. How far along is this story?** Uhm... no where near it's end... Ask me in another 100 chapters... or so... give or take a few chapters...

**2. Would reviewing and saying the same thing over and over get annoying?** Yes. But I trust that you have enough creativity to think of something new to say each time you review. Like... for example if you reviewed chapter 109 and said "Wow, I love this!" perhaps the next time you could say "siht evol I, wow!" or something similar.

**3. Do you want hitmen to come to your house after you?** Not really. But if you send them, please make sure they have proper postage on them or the mailman won't deliver them until I pay for the extra delivery fee.

**4. Well at least you have some dedicated reviewers, right?** True, and it is these dedicated reviewers who made me feel all gushy and mushy inside and which is why I am updating again. Damn you all! That's just crazy.

**4. Have you ever been too lazy to sign in when you review?** Yes. Ask Ryutsu. But I make sure my email is well known when I do. "Orange colored banana-grapes" seems to be my un-login penname. It's very original and I might change my penname from "tsubasa kya" to the orange one just because I like it so much.

**6. Why are there two number 4's?** Well, good question, even if it wasn't posed by a reader. I went to hit "5" but probably hit "4" and I don't feel like backspacing or changing it. Oops, my bad. That's just crazy.

**7. What's a "hit counter" and where do I find it?** It's a counter that keeps track of how many people click on your story and yada yada whatsoever. It's in your login, under "stats" in the left toolbar and then "story stats" in the upper right hand toolbar.

**8. How the heck do you come up with these poems?** I'm a writer. My teacher introduced me to poetry. My teacher showed me I had the ability to write them. Now, I just tick them off. ...Yes, I make them mad... hehe... And no, they're not copied from anywhere, they are all my own, created especially for this particular fanfiction.

**9. What's your trademark saying again?** That's just a crazy question, dude... or dudette. Whatever.

**10. Are you getting irritated since Ryutsu has not updated?** YES! Oh Em Gee! I'm so glad you asked! Even if you really didn't ask, and it's just my own fantasy that someone did. I still put it. ...Start updating, Ryutsu, or Kagome, Hiei, AND Kurama shall all suffer the worst death imaginable. And so will Sango, Ryuichi, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, etc. etc. The fact that Sango is already pretty much dead doesn't make much difference. I'm good at double killing people. Just to make sure they're doubly dead. **That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	111. Keiko's Lesson

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Angry that she had accidentally updated, T.K. stormed over to the update button and began smashing it with the stick until it was just a pile of bolts, screws, wires, plastic, and other what-nots that make the update button so ... updateable. The update button was dying quickly, but just before it became that pile of what-nots, it defied T.K. again and updated. "Dang it, someone clean this up!" T.K. knew she didn't own the rights to Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. **

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Chapter one hundred eleven: Keiko's Lesson

He almost choked on his water when he heard the pounding on his door and the voice behind the pounding. "I know you're in there, Mister! You're in so much trouble for just leaving me like that! You promised to walk me home!" Kagome's voice came through the door. He coughed, trying to get the water out of his lungs from where it had been inhaled. Did all women have the worst timing, or was it Hiei himself that had the bad luck?

Hiei didn't even have the time to shove Keiko in a box and hide her either. Keiko didn't seem at all upset that someone was pounding on his door, but he was choking on water, so it made sense that she wouldn't care. As long as he died, she would probably cheer and praise Kagome. He didn't expect for Kagome to enter the apartment as soon as she found the door was unlocked. That sucked, because she did just that.

Instead of feeling embarrassed like she would have thought, Kagome glared at Keiko who was packing her things up. "And that's why I think we should do the project on the molecular structure of—oh, Higurashi. Hello." Hiei couldn't help but thing, nice save, but that was beside the point. Keiko already had the writing things shoved in her duffle-bag. Hiei had to admit, she was at least partially worth the amount of trust Hiei had placed in her.

But Hiei would have had to be stupid in order to miss the fact that Keiko's voice was cold and her eyes were narrowed at Kagome. Likewise went for Kagome. She looked ready to drop the violins in her hand and attack Keiko. Hiei really didn't want to have bloodshed in his apartment—it was bad enough his carpet was stained with ink.

But instead of attacking, Kagome stared back and forth between Hiei and Keiko before setting one of the violins on the floor by the door. "Sorry to disturb you." She hissed with a scowl placed firmly upon her face. "Don't forget to practice your instrument." She then left, shutting the door with a snap behind her, and Hiei didn't know _why_ but he felt really bad. Not that he let it show or anything, but he did feel bad as though he had done something worse than Kagome blowing up his toilet.

"Good going, slick." Keiko smirked at him, making him feel like he should just slap her. "Now I _know_ you don't have any experience with women."

Hiei stood from the stool walking around the cupboard slowly until he was in front of Keiko. He balled up his fist and she winced even before the hit came. As she fell to her knees, gasping for breath, he felt better because that smirk was gone from her face. There was no way he was going to allow Keiko to talk to him like that. There was no way in _hell_ he would let her get away with it. Women were annoying.

Keiko held her hands to her stomach, leaning against his cupboard for support. It was so hard to remember that despite his height, he was not human and he was stronger than her. It was so hard to remember that he wouldn't hesitate to hit her. It was so hard to remember that she was no longer with Yusuke, so he had no reason to hold back.

Perhaps she would have to take her mother up on the offer previously made years ago. It would make her mother so happy too. _Get up._ He demanded in her head. When she made no move, he reached down and grabbed her by the upper arm, dragging her up. He didn't seem to care when her head hit the corner of the counter creating a gash by the corner of her eye and down part of her cheek.

"Bastard," she hissed as the pain shot straight through to her brain and it registered. She didn't realize how true that statement was, but he did. He didn't have a father. He had never known the man who aided in his conception. "Unhand me!"

Hiei did just that. He released her so violently that she did fall again, but as she was falling he punched her, hitting her cheek and aiding her quick descent. "Don't you _ever_ call me that again! Do you understand me?" He hissed venomously. He saw the bruise forming just beneath her eye, the opposing one from the cut made by his cupboard.

Keiko looked up at him, knowing very well that he could see her fear inside her mind. Her body shook literally as she stared up at him and she wondered if, ironically, that cataclysmic event was about to happen. Would there even be a body left to find, or would he—the fire apparition—burn her until nothing, not even ash, remained?

Realizing how close she was to losing her head, she decided tamping down her pride was in order. If she valued her life—which was strange since only a few hours before she had jumped off a building—she figured she better beg. She shifted her weight and placed her forehead on the floor before him in an ultimately submissive bow, hoping against all hope that he would see reason and keep her alive.

It wasn't like she was really in any position to bargain for her life though. "I understand… I'm sorry…" she started. She was surprised when his hand closed around her arm again, but wasn't surprised when he held tight enough to cut into her skin on her upper arm with each claw on his fingers.

Then she was shoved towards the door. _Get out of here._ His voice was a hiss in her mind, as though he didn't trust himself to speak because if he did, he might just kill her. She didn't need another warning. She didn't waste a second before leaving. The writing could stay. Doubtless he would have her return when he had calmed down, but at that moment she wasn't sure if she wanted to.

No, she was positive. She did not want to see him ever again. She wondered how Kagome could put up with Hiei's violence. Keiko wasn't sure she would make it through the week if she had to continue tutoring him. It was only nine thirty PM and since she was home early, she knew her mother would not bother her. Or at least, hopefully not.

Despite that she was very fearful of Hiei and that she was positive that her mother could get her to stop the tutoring sessions with him if she jabbed the truth at her, Keiko decided it was in her best interest to keep the events of the evening a secret from the rest of the world. She went to her bathroom and used her makeup to her advantage, covering up the bruise.

The cut was too deep to do anything more than clean and bandage, though to bandage she had to use NewSkin which stung and burned painfully, but she did hope it wouldn't scar. The cuts on her upper arm she cleaned and then bandaged, deciding that she just wouldn't take the jacket off. The bruise on her stomach was nothing she could really do about except keep covered with a shirt.

Only when she had finished this did she allow herself to fall onto her bed and sob into her pillow. How had life taken such a drastic turn and why didn't she at least put up something of a fight? No, she just let him beat her down so thoroughly that she felt miserable. But at the same time she got the feeling that these hits were justifiable.

She had insulted him. But did that mean he had to beat her for it? "…Yes," she thought firmly. "He had every right to do it. After all I put Yusuke through, I deserve whatever anyone can dish out." She didn't realize it yet, but the break up with Yusuke, and now everything that would happen with Hiei would reshape her entirely, not necessarily for the best either. She really shouldn't be accepting the beatings like that, whether or not he was a demon.

That night, Keiko fell asleep in her clothing. Her world was filled with disarray, and there was nothing she could do about it, or so she thought.

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**  
One of my favorite characters to manipulate in this particular story is Keiko. Okay, in any story I have her in, I enjoy playing her. In Promise of the P.I. Keiko ends up having sex with Kouga because they both get drunk. Of course, this doesn't happen until way later. Keiko doesn't even get introduced until somewhere around 100 thousand words. Hm. Crazy. Sexy crazy. Hehehe...**


	112. Premature Labor

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: T.K. felt her eyebrow twitching in annoyance as she looked at the indestructable new-version update button. "Okay, you listen to me, you... MACHINE!... Yes, that's right, you're a machine! How do you like THEM apples?" The update button sat there, clearly not hurt by the idiotic offense. T.K. reached down and pulled the bazooka from her sock, hoisting it up on her shoulders before... "Ryutsu might own you, but I can still destroy you!" Ahem... the term _indestructable_ means 'unable to be destroyed by any means available'. **

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Chapter one hundred twelve: Stress Brings Premature Labor

To say that she felt bad was an understatement. She felt absolutely miserable. Hiei had ditched her in order to be with another girl, but not just any girl, he had ditched her for Keiko, the woman who broke her cousin's heart! It was absolutely unfair that Keiko should get the better of her. The look of embarrassment on his face when Kagome went there made her realize that it was Keiko who he was dating.

How had she come to this conclusion, one might wonder? Easily! She recalled the night she stayed at his house she had seen two sets of dirty dishes. She should have known that he was dating. And she had felt so comfortable around him, but now she couldn't feel anything but ashamed. Ashamed that she hadn't realized it sooner.

So it was that Kagome found herself lost in the city of Tokyo, five months pregnant, and wanting to curl up and cry because once more there was someone out there who was better than her at something. She couldn't do anything without that fact chopping her to tiny pieces.

Kikyou was better at being a priestess, Sango was better at being rude when Miroku groped her, Inuyasha was better at being rude whenever the heck he wanted to be, Seirra was better at pretty much everything and also was _blind_ at the same time… There was nothing that Kagome was better at than anyone else. And now, Keiko was better at being friends with people!

"I bet he told _her_ his name!" she grumbled irritably, trying to figure out where she was. It was after ten PM and she was who-knew where. The neighborhood didn't look all that friendly though, but it was still a step up from the Realm of Opposites. There was noise. But aside from that, not all that much was different.

There were houses lining the street instead of businesses, and not an apartment building to be found in the area. Despite how nice the buildings did look, she still felt a feeling of foreboding as she walked forward down the sidewalks, wondering if she should go back and try to find some place she recognized.

Kagome groaned and levered herself to the ground when a sharp pain burst through her lower abdomen, feeling like her lower body was constricting in on itself. Or perhaps it was doing the opposite. She couldn't tell which it was, but it sure did hurt a lot. She didn't trust herself to stand because if she did she was sure she would fall over.

"Ahh!" She cried, feeling ill as another one hit her. She held her stomach as the pain brought tears to her eyes and made her pant. It wasn't fair! Why was this happening to her?

**-Elsewhere- **

Keiko woke to the sound of cries coming through her window. It was dark outside except for where the streetlamps lit a small area of sidewalk so she couldn't locate the source of the noise, but she was sure she had heard something out there. Getting out of her bed, she went to the window and opened it further in hopes of hearing clearer what would make the noise.

She saw nothing there but did hear more. It sounded like someone was hurt out there. She went to wake her mother and tell her what she had heard but her mother was gone, making her curse her luck. It was Monday, so her mother would be gone for the evening. That was completely unfair.

Digging a flashlight from the tool cupboard, she decided it was her duty to go check things out. She just hoped it wasn't some sort of trap. If it was, she wouldn't be missed though, she was sure. She couldn't bring herself to hope that anyone cared if she died anymore.

She made her way out into the dark night, gulping as another cry bit the night. "H-hello?" she squeaked, only to be rewarded with a pained gasp.

"H…Help…" The voice was strained.

Keiko pointed her flashlight in the direction the voice came from and what she saw nearly made her drop the source of light. Her blood ran cold as she looked from the woman lying on the ground to the pool of wetted cement around her. Despite any quarrels that might be between the two, Keiko knew she couldn't just leave Kagome there.

At that point in time, Kagome didn't care if it was Keiko or if it was a mass-murderer. She could feel the tears slipping down her cheeks as the pain continued and her entire lower body felt wet, though she wasn't sure why. It shouldn't be time to have the baby yet because she was only five months along!

When Keiko went to help her stand, Kagome let her. She couldn't believe Keiko was helping her, but then again she guessed it was possible that she was hallucinating. Pain was known to have some rather uncanny side effects. "What's happening with you, Higurashi?" Keiko asked, keeping the cruel tone from her voice. Now was _not_ the time for any rivalries between them to affect the situation.

"I… I think I'm having the baby. But it's not right; I haven't even picked a name yet!" Keiko helped Kagome into her house, but it was slow-going and difficult. Kagome was heavy and besides that she was having quite the hard time walking. Keiko decided that she would wait until later to ask how Kagome had gotten pregnant. But Kagome just kept blabbing away nervously. "I'm sorry I'm jealous of you. You're better than me at everything."

"No I'm not," Keiko told her honestly as they made it to the front door. Kagome tripped on the first step but they managed to continue in. "You are able to stand up to Hiei with dignity. I don't think I'd dare yell like you did anymore." After that, Keiko was going to lead Kagome into her room so she could at least be comfortable, but Kagome just collapsed then, unable to walk further.

"It hurts so damn much!" Ironically, Kagome felt a surge of pride for swearing but it was minor compared the surges going through her abdomen and pelvis. Keiko hurried to the phone, but Kagome's voice kept her from dialing the emergency service. "No paramedics! No!" she cried.

Keiko bit her lip and looked at the pained woman. "Can I call Yusuke?" Kagome only nodded, her breath shorter than ever.

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**  
Hating a character doesn't make you evil. Killing them does. Oh, wait, I guess that makes me evil. That's just crazy. But sexy crazy! Haha!**


	113. Soul Extraction

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: T.K. would like to say that, "It is an honor to have so many reviews." She would also like to say,"I don't own." She would also like to say, "It is a fanfiction so it does not matter whether or not the characters are 'in character' because she has manipulated their personalities to suit her story's plot." She would also like to say that,"I find it silly that people must limit themselves to 'in character' considering there really could be no Hiei/Kagome or Kurama/Kagome pairings if he was in character since he and Kurama are actually portrayed as gay in the manga. Together." She would also like you to have a good day. And she would also like you to know that Yusuke will not be half-demon (etc.) in this fanfiction. And it was good. __**

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Chapter one hundred thirteen: Soul Extraction

**-Hiei's mind- **

"A bright light shall be the door  
Through it I have traveled  
None have found me here  
It is my special stronghold"  
-Hiei

Kagome groaned as she looked left and right. Where was she? She wasn't sure, but she certainly wasn't in Tokyo anymore. The place around her was strange, ethereal. She wasn't sure if she was dreaming or if she actually was somewhere real. Beside her was Keiko, but the other girl was unconscious, unable to even lift her head up off the strange floor.

Kagome crawled over to Keiko, shaking the other girl before noticing that Keiko was covered from head to toe in blood. That blood was on her hands now. Kagome looked at the blood with horror and then looked down at her own body again to find there was no bulge there. The silence around her was suffocating her.

Where is my baby? She questioned in her mind, but she was awarded with no answer. She strived to find the answer, but it never came and so she decided that wherever she was, she had to search for her baby if she wanted to find it. She groaned and bit her lip, debating whether or not to leave the bloody woman behind.

A bright light in her peripheral vision made up her mind and she left Keiko's side to investigate. She came closer and closer to the light and watched it with her head tilted just slightly. "What is this?" she asked, only to find her voice echoing loudly in the strange space. She shivered slightly and went to touch the light, hoping it would warm up her cold body.

"Don't touch." She heard someone say. She gasped and turned around, finding the nameless boy behind her. She cocked her head at him before the anger set in. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind. She wanted to yell and scream at him how it was all his fault—and Keiko's—that she had gone into labor early. "You're going to have to learn to think quieter in here."

"Where _is_ here?" Kagome asked him, her tension clear in her voice. "And why the heck is there that annoying echo?"

Hiei sighed. "You're in my head. Keiko called me when Yusuke wouldn't pick up the phone. She's lucky I didn't break her neck or something."

"What do you mean, 'she's lucky'? You do _not_ go around saying you'll break people's necks! That is so rude!" The place around her was so weird. She didn't know where to begin to explain it's emptiness.

She watched him turn his back, walking away from her. His image began to fade but he looked back slightly and said, "Don't touch anything." He hoped she would obey, because he didn't want to have to manipulate her world like he had for Keiko at the start.

**-Human World- **

Hiei groaned as he lifted Keiko's body and placed her in the room he assumed to be hers. Kagome's body was next and it was heavier. He lifted her up and placed her next to Keiko on the bed. Without a soul in her body, Kagome wouldn't be able to have the baby. And without a soul in the baby's body, the baby couldn't die in the womb.

He was smart enough to figure this out. He had seen many such soul extractions and this was basically the same concept. He had extracted Keiko's soul from her body only because the woman wouldn't stop talking and since it was his mind, he was able to manipulate the world the souls lived in.

He wasn't sure how far along Kagome was in her pregnancy, but he knew one thing for sure: he was angry that she was pregnant at all. He didn't know _why_ he was angry, but the thought of him missing such an important fact just seemed… off.

With the power of his Jagan eye, combined with a little of his life force, he was successful in being able to put a blind hold over the two women. They would do as he said. But for now, he had them sleeping. Despite the broken water, Kagome's baby would live. Hiei kept the baby's soul separate from Kagome in his mind, locking the two away from each other so that they couldn't latch onto each other.

With the similarities in their souls, there was enough the same about each of their souls that they could blend together; mesh and never unmesh. He wasn't so sure about what made him care enough to do this for Kagome, but he had and it was too late to turn back. He knew very well that he would feel bad if Kagome started crying over a lost baby. Over a miscarriage.

Besides that fact, if he had Keiko in his mind, Kagome would have company. After all, Hiei couldn't always turn his thoughts inward in order to keep her occupied. He had things to do, like practice writing, and practice his instrument, and learn to read so that he could do the load of homework he now apparently had to do. He still had no idea what Koenma was trying to accomplish through the mission of his.

**-Hiei's mind- **

Kagome stared up at the blank space that she supposed was the roof of the place, far more bored than she had ever been in her life. Such a strange dream she was having. The nameless boy was quite weird if he expected her to believe she was in his mind. That would just be way too weird for her to cope with.

She grinned. Since it was her dream, she could manipulate it to suit her needs! Raising her head up, she looked around. Where was her favorite place to be? On a rooftop of course! Suddenly she was on the rooftop of the Elbe Housing Complex. What was her favorite weather condition? Rainy and glum, of course! It started pouring.

She looked around the rooftop, pointing at random places to change things how she desired them to look. No, there was not magic involved, there was only the will to have things her way. Like Burger King. "I want a chair there. I want a table there. I want the shrine-girl books on the table." She grinned as all her requests were answered.

Hiei swore vehemently. What was she doing? She was putting things all over the place! How was she doing this? He didn't know. He turned his head inward, placing his likeness inside his mind to confront her, but instead he fell head first onto a rooftop. With a grunt, he looked up and glared at the she-devil who was turning his world upside-down.

"What are you doing to my mind?" He snarled, unable to get up as there felt to be gravity in his head. It was the strangest thing ever.

"This is all a dream. You're not here. When I wake up, everything will be normal again." Kagome told him happily, sitting down in her chair and grabbing one of the books. "And everything will be normal again!" Oh if only he could getup! But apparently she had thoroughly taken over his mind somehow and she was the one who controlled things, not him.

"Every time I try to do something nice for someone, it backfires. Damn it and you're the only one I do nice things for. Shit, this is stupid." He grumbled, only to be ignored by her. Somehow he didn't like being ignored by her. Most of the time he preferred being ignored, but she had become his friend, despite the fact that she had blown up his toilet. No, there was nothing romantic between the two other than pure friendship, which he did not want to lose.

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**  
That's just crazy. But sexy crazy! Haha!**


	114. Strange Love Triangle

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: "It takes the time to find the time to make the timeso I have time to taketo find and only then can I make the time to upload. Confusing, but oh-so-true. I don't own." T.K. is not going to be doing much review-responsing because that would take too much room. But she will, for your benefit, see if she can review her own story and leave a little present there for you. See reviews for_ ch: 113.

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Chapter one hundred fourteen: Strange Love Triangle

"My heart holds my emotions  
Make it out of ice  
Cool the tempest  
That is my blood  
The fire in these veins  
Send me mixed signals  
I am forbidden  
No one touch me  
If you do  
Hell will freeze over  
My life will end  
Chaos becomes my eternity"  
-Hiei

**-Hiei's mind- **

Kagome wasn't sure what to do. She was so bored and the glum atmosphere of the rain kept drenching her books. Even though it was just a dream, which what else could it be anyway, she didn't know what to do because the world seemed so real. She looked back at the light that her nameless friend had told her not to touch.

It seemed harmless. Couldn't she just touch it? After all, it was just a dream so what harm could it do just by touching it? And the nameless boy wasn't in the dream at the moment so he couldn't stop her. She got up and walked towards the light. What harm could touching it do?

**-Demon World- **

Kurama yawned and stretched out on the chair. He had done his job, but he couldn't bring himself to leave just yet. All he had to do was deliver a message and pick up an artifact for King Enma, but after he delivered it to Enma, he had decided just go back to the Demon World. His body had long-since gone back to being what was normal—Shuichi's body.

But as long as he didn't steal, his friend had said he could stay. He had enjoyed countless sparring sessions with Shippou—ending up losing almost every time because Shippou had the upper hand in two ways: he was a fire fox and he was used to intense training. Other than that, Kurama believed that living in the human world had made him soft.

Shippou only confirmed that suspicion. Long ago it didn't matter if Shippou was a fire based demon; Kurama always had the upper hand. Eighteen years had done him bad, not good. So it was that Kurama was finally preparing to return to the human world. He had to remember that Kagome was probably worried about him.

Still, despite that he wanted to stay, he couldn't help but feel excitement at the thought of seeing Kagome again. She was a fun person to be around, not to mention a great kisser. She had accepted both his halves. She had accepted both Shuichi and Youko, though clearly she liked Youko's ears far better.

"Stay out of trouble, Kurama." Shippou warned him as he prepared to depart. Kurama grinned at him. Shippou was worried for him, but that only went with saying. The two had, at one point in time, been intimately involved. This was, of course, before Shippou had been locked in marriage with the ward of the Western Lord.

It wasn't exactly gay… okay, yes it was gay. They had 'enjoyed' each other in multiple ways, but they were close friends and the times were hard. With a war going on and no women around, the men tended to turn to each other for comfort. After all, women were not employed in the military in their province and as the personal body guard for Shippou, Kurama was the only one who ever got close enough to offer that comfort.

"You too. Give my regards to Rin." He told his friend before waving and leaving. Shippou was lucky to find a woman like Rin. Despite the fact that she was human and should have been dead already, she was something special as well. She was a Secret-Keeper, but not just any Secret-Keeper. She was the descendant of Rinay the First.

Rin couldn't exactly die because of the fact that she was a Secret-Keeper. Or more accurately would be to say that she couldn't die of old age. She would live on until she was killed. Shippou's children would forever be half-breeds, but Kurama knew that the other demon didn't mind. Shippou was in love with Rin and had been since before Kurama even came along.

More accurately would be to say that Kurama and Shippou were thrust together by a selfish woman who desired power to keep to herself. They had no more power to keep their destinies apart than Shippou had the power to hate his spouse, or his spouse had the power not to steal the secrets she needed.

Ironically enough, Rin was never loved by only one person. Shippou wasn't the only one to fall for her. Kurama knew quite a few people who loved her, himself included, but the amount of love that Kurama might have given her was nothing in comparison to how much love that Shippou _did_ give her. The strange feelings formed the strangest triangle.

Shippou loved Kurama. Kurama loved Rin. Rin loved Shippou. Shippou loved Rin. And finally, Kurama loved Shippou. Rin had never returned Kurama's feelings. She had always been faithful.

"Hey, wait!" Rin raced over as fast as the tight kimono would allow her. She looked marvelous in it, Kurama had to admit. He smiled at her as she looked to her lord for the permission to approach Kurama. Only when Shippou gave her that permission did she continue forward and hold out a small cloth wrapped package. "It is important that you give this to the Forbidden One."

"Why?" Kurama asked, taking the package. He was careful not to let their fingers touch. Despite how close he and Shippou were, that did not at all give him right to touch Rin. She was essentially a Queen, and she deserved that respect. Aside from her stature, she was kind and did the good deeds to deserve that respect.

So even if he felt the tingling feeling inside him that told him he still harbored feelings for her as well as Shippou, he would not obey his inner calling to be flirtatious. "He will understand. Please give that to him. I cannot make the journey myself." She patted her stomach proudly and it made him understand. She was pregnant again and a journey across the barriers would repel the second soul.

Kurama looked behind Rin and quirked an eyebrow at his old friend, silently asking for permission. Shippou sighed and rubbed his face, a look of exasperation plastered there. He simply waved his hand in dismissal, a simple form of permission. "Rin, I wish you would stop being mysterious." Shippou complained of the girl.

She giggled before bowing slightly and going to place her hand on her spouse's arm. "But you like me still, right?" She asked, peering up at him with woeful eyes, the complete opposite from her giggle two seconds before.

Kurama again smiled, hoping against all hope that Kagome wouldn't be too mad at him for disappearing for a month. Kurama hoped the feelings he harbored for the couple in front of him disappeared soon. He left with the package in his hands. Rin had known he couldn't refuse her request. More than that. She must have known he _wouldn't_ refuse her request.

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That's just crazy. But sexy crazy! Haha!


	115. Come Alone

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: 11. Recipe for Keiko-shakes: Build a giant blender. 40 gallons of ice cream (your choice flavor), 5 gallons milk, 1 Keiko, 10 pounds chocolate, 100 strawberries, 40 bananas, and 56 kiwis. Push puree. Blend until smooth. _Warning: Bones may cause intestinal damage._ 12.ChopKeiko up and cook her with stirfry at a Mongolianbarbeque restaurant.13. Shove Keiko into traffic on Hwy 41. 14. Shove a Saimyoushou up her bum. The poop will build up and she will die because she's unable to dispose of her waste. 15. Place Keiko ina room with T.K. and have her say, "You don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha!" and see what T.K. does. **

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Chapter one hundred fifteen: Come Alone

**-Feudal Era- **

The Saimyoushou was staring down at him when he woke up, startling him into hasty wakefulness. He would never let anyone know, but his greatest fear was the poison bee. The bee hovered just above him with a rolled scroll in its pincers. Just when he had seen it, it dropped the scroll on his head and then flew out the window again. The scroll bounced into his lap.

Gulping slightly he reached out and touched the scroll, entirely expecting something bad to happen. After all, his life wasn't the happiest, was it? He was cursed and had to go around letting everyone else assume that he was happy and perverted. Being perverted was just a rouse though; a distraction from the truth. He was afraid to die.

When nothing bad happened, he let out the breath he had been unaware he was holding. Slowly he opened the scroll and read the contents, not exactly happy at what he saw. "I have your Demon Slayer, Monk. Get me the shards and come alone to the place where I first cursed your grandfather and we shall trade. If you proceed with this, I will remove the curse in your hand."

There was no assuming who had done this. It was the truth. Naraku controlled the Saimyoushou. Was Naraku also responsible for the toxins that had taken over Sesshoumaru and were currently killing the strong demon? Should he go, or should he just conclude that Naraku was lying like he often did?

But then again, Sango had been missing for five months. Clearly Naraku had gotten her out before the war got serious, and then was unable to get the message to Miroku beforehand which would explain why this didn't come sooner. So should he go or should he hope that Naraku was lying? Should he tell someone about it or should he go alone?

He wondered if Naraku would kill Sango if he didn't come alone. That made up his mind. If there was even a chance that Sango was there and being hurt, he wouldn't take that chance. He was going to go and he would take Inuyasha's shards with him. Unsurprisingly, after the battle was over, Inuyasha had found three shards and they were quite large ones too.

But with Sesshoumaru so ill, it fell upon Inuyasha's shoulders to make the decisions that were necessary and with no prior instruction at all, the young half-breed was mostly relying on his gut instincts. He had used the water stone that, while Miroku congratulated the half-breed for actually pulling off using it, it wasn't the smartest thing. He had violated the rules.

But no one really cared either, so it worked out either way. They had all just wanted the battle to be over and no one knew why it had started in the first place. Miroku had noticed that Shippou had disappeared somewhere in the entire confusion, but hoped the young demon would show up again. His disappearance made three who had seemingly popped out of existence. Ryuichi and Sango and then Shippou all disappeared.

It made Miroku wonder if Sango had realized something earlier on when she constantly attacked him. Had she found out that Ryuichi was related to Naraku somehow and her desire for vengeance for her family had stopped her from telling anyone? If so, that wasn't a good thing because it meant that they would have to fight Ryuichi, and from what Miroku could tell he was indeed a strong foe; perhaps too strong.

Sesshoumaru's sickness, however, really puzzled Miroku. He was unresponsive in anything. Pain didn't affect him, his eyes did not dilate at all when light hit them, and his skin was always cold and clammy as though he was already dead but he had a faint heartbeat. It was not the same as the disease that had swept through the castle, taking with it many lives. It may have started out with that, but it had evolved into something far worse.

One look at Sesshoumaru could easily tell Miroku that the demon was suffering even if he was in a coma. He seemed to suffer from nightmares constantly. There was something eating him inside out and there was nothing anyone could do about it. None of them had any power at all left to do anything about it. Whatever it was drained the healers terribly and even the lip-face demon could do nothing.

Having made up his mind, he hastened to get ready. He had no spiritual energy left, but he always had his physical strength at least. He wouldn't leave until later after dark, but he would be ready. The fact that he had no spiritual energy wasn't as bothersome as he would have thought, because he had set up a tap on Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru was receiving all his spiritual healing energies and Miroku was essentially keeping him alive.

Miroku would be worried if he started to regain that energy because it meant that Sesshoumaru was dead.

**-Elsewhere- **

Shippou swore one of the many _choicer _vocabulary words he had learned from Inuyasha as yet again his personal body guard beat him in a battle. Seriously, it wasn't fair! Shippou was fire-based and his personal body guard was plant based! "You're not trying hard enough." His guard told him. "Your fire is not hot enough. It's a part of you, so think of it as that. Your hands become your enemy's destruction."

Shippou growled and sat up in the dirt. It hadn't taken long to realize why he was no longer at Sesshoumaru's castle. He hadn't known it, but his uncle had made him his second choice heir and when his uncle and cousin died, that meant he had to be pulled from where he was to serve what he called a life sentence.

But he tried not to view it as that. He had an insane aunt who was the Regent while he learned what he had to, and he had found out that the objective of the war was to 'liberate Prince Shippou' from enemy clutches. They thought he was unhappy there. Or some bull like that. But who had told his aunt where he was?

How did he try to view his situation? As a way to further be like Sesshoumaru. And now that he had reached demon maturity—foxes reached demon maturity before most other demon species—his aunt was pressuring him to hurry up and take the crown. She had power to seek. Shippou didn't like her. She gave him a bad feeling and after living with Inuyasha for so long, he had learned quickly to trust his gut instincts.

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That's just crazy. But sexy crazy! Haha!


	116. Answering Machine

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: 21. Fail Keiko on a test. 22. Be there when Keiko recieves a rejection letter to her choice university. 23. Ask Keiko what the difference is between Impossible and Possible. 24. Ram a pole up her rear and out her mouth and cook her like a shishkabob. 25. Lock her in a room and let her suffer dehydration. (don't own.)__**

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Chapter one hundred sixteen: Answering Machine

**-Human World- **

There she sat, and it was Hiei who held her in his arms. It was her nameless friend who looked angrily at her even while he brushed her sweat-soaked bangs out of her eyes. There was a pain in her lower region that was unnatural and it made her cry out in agony. "Why is this happening to me?" she asked the nameless boy who stared down at her helplessly.

"I told you not to touch the light." He whispered; though her mind was too muddled with pain to know he was even talking, much less hear what he had said. "You shouldn't have touched it, you moron!"

Kagome didn't know what was going on. She couldn't see anything but crimson eyes. She couldn't hear anything except her heartbeat. She couldn't feel anything except the pain coursing through her. It felt like something was wrenching at her lower body. Again she screamed, trying to hear something other than her heartbeat, but it was as though she were being mocked. Her heartbeat sounded like it was counting down her remaining life.

"Hold her more at an angle!" Keiko demanded. "Don't let her lay back so far." Keiko sat at the computer in her room, reading how to give birth to a child on an internet website. They were trying to follow it as best as they could so far.

When Kagome had touched the 'light' in Hiei's mind, she had opened the door for all three souls that Hiei had trapped in his mind to exit and all of them had left. Hiei had told her not to touch it! She was only lucky that he was still at Keiko's house at four in the morning to keep an eye on their bodies and make sure nothing happened to them.

But she just had to be an idiot and touch what she was specifically told not to touch! Why was the woman so insistent on turning his world upside down? Ever since the day they had met, it had been one weird event after another. He was beginning to wonder about up from down and what signified the difference between the directions.

In his heart—not that he had one of course! He was evil, plain and simple!—he knew that there was something different about this woman who so stupidly touched the door to his mind and let herself out so that she could go into pre-labor again. If only she had stayed there, but he had been unprepared for that move by her and it had turned into a vicious attack against him.

His emotions were raging inside of him. He was comprised of fire and ice and already his blood was unstable which meant that he could end up tearing himself apart unintentionally. It meant that emotions were his enemy. His life needed perfect balance, and this simple woman had gone and thrown caution to the wind for him. Strangely enough, he wasn't mad at her for it.

By all rights, he should have been angry. He should have slapped her silly, or at least until she stopped crying and begging for the end of the pain of premature birth. Honestly it was her fault! But if he knew this, why did he still feel guilty? What had he done to make her freak out and go into premature birth, or was this meant to happen? Why did he feel so guilty?

His emotions were getting out of hand. They were going to kill him if he wasn't careful. Already he could feel his body going from icy cold to dangerously hot. She shouldn't have touched the door to his mind. She just should have listened, but she was a woman, so what did he expect? Did he expect her to listen to him and do what she was told?

No, women never listened to what they were told. "Stupid woman." he grumbled, trying to reign in his power again before the building started on fire or became coated with ice. Or maybe it would do both? That would be a sight to see! "All of you are idiots."

Now, of course, unluckily Kagome heard that particular comment. Her long sweaty fingers moved from the blankets where they had been gripped in a death lock to grab a lock of his hair and tug on it. "I'm not stupid!" she yelled at him, momentarily forgetting that she was _kind of sort of_ giving birth at that very moment. Ah yes, the beauty of ignorance.

"Ow, let go you stupid wench!" He growled at her, giving her his patented glare of doom. Okay, maybe it really wasn't patented, but not very many could pull it off as well as he could. Of course, when one is getting their hair yanked on, it does become rather hard to glare directly at them.

"Owie owie owie!" Kagome cried, suddenly releasing him to favor grasping his arm--which coincidentally or not was around her waist so she could be held upright--and dig her nails into the skin. He bit his lip to keep his attention on harnessing control over the elements that raged through him but it wasn't easy because her nails had broken the skin on his arm and whether or not it was consciously she was pushing her raw purifying power into his blood.

"Any time now, bitch!" Hiei snapped at Keiko. "Help her and maybe I might not beat you an inch from death!" Why was he worrying? Because Kagome was a friend. She was someone who didn't know or care that he was forbidden. To find someone like that who didn't mind that he was created from two opposing elements was something that didn't happen every day.

Even if she didn't yet know that he was two opposing elements and even if he had to disregard that fact that she seemed unlikely to shun him because of it, she still hadn't showed any inkling to be anything but a ready friend despite many factors that should have told her to run the other way. They had met almost six months before and she still didn't know his name. She didn't ask for it, she just smiled.

She was a rare gem and he wouldn't let her be hurt. He would _not_ fail this. If he could take her soul back into his mind again he would, but his elements were too unstable at the moment and if she were to go into his mind at that time, likely she wouldn't make it out again.

"I'm sorry! This computer is so slow!" Keiko said. "It's loading still!" Hiei found it odd that he didn't find any humor at all in the fact that Keiko clearly was afraid of him. It really wasn't the time to be rejoicing.

**-Elsewhere-**

Kurama had decided to take the package to Hiei immediately, but was surprised to find Hiei's apartment empty. It was nearly five AM and Hiei wasn't usually one to just wander around at night. He usually stayed in his apartment from three AM until six AM. Kurama set the package on the cupboard and went to get paper from the desk to leave a note for Hiei but then he saw a message flashing on the answering machine.

Cocking his head slightly, he contemplated whether or not he wanted his curiosity to get the better of him. Hiei would doubtless be very angry if he found out that Kurama had prodded into his business, but honestly when was there a better time to learn about Hiei than when the Forbidden One wasn't around?

Pushing the play button, he looked at Hiei's desk for a moment before opening the top drawer. "Hiei, I know you're mad at me but I need your help! Please don't hang--" The message ended abruptly as though Hiei had picked up the reciever and smashed it down on the hook. The next message began and finally Kurama recognized the voice. Keiko knew Hiei? What was going on between the two? Were _they_ the reason Keiko and Yusuke broke up? That entire situation had been vague from the start.

"Just hear me out! I can't call the paramedics and--" Again the message ended abruptly. Kurama rifled through the solitary notebook that was kept in the top drawer. It was filled with strangely amazing drawings that each displayed a woman watching the sunset with her back to the painter. Kurama was sure it was a woman anyway. He didn't think it was a man. But this looked like a female demon slayer.

It just went to show how little that was known about Hiei, if he knew a demon slayer. Or perhaps Hiei wasn't the drawer? "Stop hanging up, Hiei! Beat me again if you want, but Ka--" _Ka?_ Who was Ka? Or was it something else? There were too many names that started with 'Ka'. He flipped half-way through the notebook and found the demon slayer's face was partially revealed. She stared at the drawer over a bone mask that covered half her face.

"She's in labor! Did you know she's pregnant? She's in pain and I can't do this alone! Please Hiei, pick up!" On the message there was a distinct change in tone as Hiei's voice came through from having been recorded. "Who? And why would you assume I care?" Kurama finished looking at the drawings and put the notebook back, closing the drawer. He was careful to make sure it was exactly as it had been before he took it out.

"It's Yusuke's cousin--" The call was abruptly cut off again. The next message began to play, but Kurama was already moving towards the door. Yusuke only had one female cousin, right? So that meant that Kagome was in pain. Kurama should have come back after he completed his mission. He was sure this would never have happened! He was going to find Kagome, and he was going to help her.

He completely forgot about the task Rin asked him to do.

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**Your decision will tell which route we take next and whether or not the baby is born 'tonight'. **

**Input: Do _you_** (the reader & reviewer)** want Kurama to,**

**A) Go back and grab the important package?  
B) Forget about the package and go to Keiko's immediately?**

**How I have this worked out on paper is both ways, but I'm not typing up both versions. It would take too much time. Maybe I'll go back and post it the other way later, but you need to vote and decide (by popular demand of course) which one you want to see now. **

**Voting ends in three chapters, so you better hurry... and you can vote again at each chapter!**


	117. Ryuichi's New Mate

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: T.K. has started a C2 community! T.K. is kind of sort of looking for staff members. T.K. is also looking for GOOD and WORTHWHILE stories to add to her C2 community that at least partially fall under the Inuyasha category. Please let T.K. know if you have a story you would like to be considered. She still doesn't own. 117 times she doesn't own.__**

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Chapter one hundred seventeen: Ryuichi's New Mate

Yusuke had never felt so angry in his life. Keiko had the nerve to call him and sound hysterical? He had unplugged the phone when she wouldn't stop calling. She didn't know how to get on with her life did she? It was her damn fault in the first place that they had broken up. If she had just trusted him... But he didn't deserve to know. He didn't deserve it.

Now, Yusuke was alone at the apartment, waiting up for Kagome. It was five AM and she wasn't home yet. It worried him. Had she managed to go back through the well? No, because he had gotten worried and called his Aunt Naomi to ask that already and Naomi would have known whether or not Kagome had gone through.

Naomi had told him not to worry. She had explained that Kagome was where she needed to be, but Kagome really wasn't! Kagome wasn't at Yusuke's apartment with him, and Yusuke couldn't even call his mother to ask if she had seen Kagome by any chance at all, but Atsuko was living with her new boyfriend who by the way Yusuke did not know and had not met.

Yusuke didn't even have a phone number! So what was he supposed to do? What could he do? He had checked all plausible places where Kagome might be, but had not found her. He had called Hiei's, Kurama's, and even managed to get a hold of Haru and Sheena but the Akira twins had not seen Kagome since they caught her, and Hiei and Kurama weren't answering.

Or more accurately, Kurama's mother had bitched him out for calling in the first place anyway. He didn't know if Kurama was there or not. He might have been there, but maybe not. Kurama was prone to mysterious disappearances now and again. Where he went was anybody's guess.

But where Kagome went was Yusuke's business! It was his job to keep track of her, but she had been in the band room after school and promised to be home by eleven, but said she had some business to take care of first. She had _promised_ to be home. Kagome wasn't one to break promises lightly.

And with Kagome pregnant, it just made Yusuke worry even more! His nephew--or was it niece? or cousin?--and his cousin-who-was-more-like-a-sister-which-would-make-the-child-nephew-or-niece were missing in the dangerous night streets of Tokyo. Honestly, Kagome would be the death of Yusuke!

Yusuke couldn't help but worry constantly about the woman. As the clock's second hand ticked, he made his decision. He would go find Hiei's apartment and he would demand the fire apparition open the door. He would _not_ be ignored. Had his mother's new boyfriend not been rich enough to pay for Yusuke and Kagome to stay in the apartment alone, she might have stopped him because she would still be there.

But instead, she wasn't there so he had to go. He had to make sure his cousin was alright. The girl was going into her fifth month of pregnancy, so it was no time for late nights! There was no telling _what_ sort of nasty creatures might have gotten at her. He already waited too long to make this decision. The clock read exactly five o'one. Sixty seconds to make a decision was too much time.

Yusuke went into Kagome's room and shuffled through her date book where she wrote down times and addresses and phone numbers. He looked for Hiei's name but found nothing. He did, however, find "Nameless Apparition" in the book. Gee, who could that be? Shaking his head, he reminding himself that Hiei had not wanted her to know his name.

At least Yusuke could trust Hiei with Kagome. If Hiei did anything, _anything_, to his cousin, it would have been the very last thing that Hiei ever did. Yusuke would make sure that anyone who hurt his cousin learned what pure agony was.

**-Feudal Era-**

Ryuichi's blood went cold at the sight of the demon licking Sango like a special dessert of some sort. Their relationship never should have gone so far, but it had and he found that her pain was his own. He had ruthlessly slaughtered the demon, but that was hours ago. Now he held Sango even while Akio merged his body with his wife's. Akio was half phantom demon, so the ability to join bodies with another was amongst the many abilities he had.

The centipede demon had attacked Isoo when the woman had walked in on the sight of Sango's plight. Despite that, Isoo was only minorly injured, but Akio still was going to heal her. They would be stuck in the same body for three days, but neither cared. They were in love, as much as the first time they met.

"**Father, you really care for her, do you not**?" Akio asked through Isoo's body. Sango was unconscious at the moment, so could not recognize anything.

"Our affection was an accident." Ryuichi admitted. Ryuichi had made up his mind already, but knew that Sango would forever hate him for it. If he thought that her aggression towards him was bad before, she would be ten times as defiant. She really wasn't the ideal housewife. Under normal standards, a woman would call her aman in a woman's body. "Isoo, Akio... Thank you for coming, but I am going to ask you nicely to leave."

"**What are you going to do, Father**? Please do not do anything hasty." Isoo added.

Ryuichi grinned pervertedly at his son and Isoo. "Me? Hasty? Three thousand years, my dear. I live in a different time."

It was hesitant, but they did leave and Ryuichi turned to Sango's unconscious body. Placing the tip of his fingers on her forehead, he prepared to make the biggest mistake he knew he would ever make in his life. He prepared to bind Sango to him. Some would call it 'mating', but to him, that just seemed so harsh.

"I hope you're not too mad when you wake." he joked half-heartedly with the unconscious woman. Sure she would be. It would be stupid to think thatshe wouldn't hold a grudge. After all, he was binding her life to his, which meant that she would live as long as he did. There were benefits on her end doubtless, but would she be able to return to the monk knowing she would outlive him?

Yes, she would be furious.

Ryuichi dug his claw into the flesh on her forehead, drawing his mark on her forehead: a foreward facing slash with a hooked dot on either side of it. It looked like a percent sign almost, albeit a bit odd. That done, he bit his finger and trailed the blood all over the wound, then dabbed his venom on top of it. Instead of healing perfect and scarlessly, it scarred, never to be removed.

She was officially bound to his life.That done, he bit into her neck and drained her of nearly all her blood, replacing it all with his venom. It would do the taskof repairing the broken bones. Had he not bound her to his life, she would have died during this process because of certain complications. Everything served a purpose.

He swore irritably. He did _not_ just bind a demon slayer, his born enemy, to his life, did he? Shit, he did. He had just mated his enemy. Sex was not technically mating. Not in the context of binding their lives together. What he had just done though... Oh yes, she would be _pissed_.

He tried to convince himself that he had done it purely for the purpose of them making it to Kagome. It wasn't working, but if he kept repeating it in his mind, he was sure that soon he would believe it... he hoped...

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**Your decision will tell which route we take next and whether or not the baby is born 'tonight'. **

**Input: Do _you_** (the reader & reviewer)** want Kurama to,**

**A) Go back and grab the important package?  
B) Forget about the package and go to Keiko's immediately?**

**How I have this worked out on paper is both ways, but I'm not typing up both versions. It would take too much time. Maybe I'll go back and post it the other way later, but you need to vote and decide (by popular demand of course) which one you want to see now. **

**Voting ends in two chapters, so you better hurry... and you can vote again at each chapter!**


	118. Death of Rin

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: T.K. is irritated at all the idiots who don't review yet decide to send her emailed votes. She also does not own what is not hers. She's also very irritated. Huh, go figure.__**

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Chapter one hundred eighteen: Death of Secret-Keeper Rin

**-Human World- **

Naraku walked into his adopted daughter's room, shaking her shoulder gently to wake her. She stretched and yawned, blinking up at him through sleepy eyes. "What do you want, dad?" she muttered irritably before pulling the blankets further around herself and curling back up on her bed.

"Get up, Sheena." Naraku told her. If she didn't wake up, he might have to take…extreme measures. The thought brought a grin to his face despite the seriousness of the situation. He honestly couldn't have been blessed with better children than Kagome, Souta, Haru, or Sheena. They were his joy.

Sheena opened one eye to peer at him before deciding he was no threat and stuffing her pillow over her head. Her voice was muffled through the pillow as she stated, "No. Go away or I'll kick your ass."

Naraku stood straight up and walked out of the room to find Haru anxiously bouncing on his heel outside the door. "Can I? Oh, please let me!" He begged. He already had a cup of icy water in his hand. He was one step ahead of Naraku. That did make Naraku chuckle that his son knew him so well.

"Sheena, I'm counting to three!" Naraku called into the room, winking at Haru whose eyes sparkled with untamed mirth. "One!" Haru moved his head to peer into the room at the lump on the bed. "Two!"

Haru walked into the room and stole the pillow away from Sheena before she could do anything and said, "THREE! Ahaha!" He dumped all the contents of the glass onto the other twin's head—or at least he would have if she were there still. All the water soaked the pillows but no one was there to get wet.

"Geronimo!" Sheena hollered, diving off the top of the bookshelf to tackle her brother. Both went down in a tumble of limbs and legs. "You're stupid, Haru! How dare you attempt that on me!" she bounced up off of him and raced towards the bedroom door to tackle Naraku, but he just quirked an eyebrow at her and shut her door.

A thump was heard, followed by the laughter of her brother. Naraku opened the door and cocked his head at his daughter. "Are you quite finished with this random display of idiocy?" He questioned her. "Because we're going to meet Naomi and introduce you to your brother."

"Naomi? You mean, at five in the morning? Dad, not even the birds are up yet!" Sheena complained, as usual. She really was not a morning person.

Haru slapped Sheena on the back and said, "Wonk uoy stneserp evah thgim imoaN!"

Sheena gave her brother a dry look before elbowing him. "No clue what you just said. I don't speak _Idiot_."

"Ha. Ha." Haru drawled, childishly sticking his tongue out at her. She stuck her tongue out at him. He repeated it. She repeated it.

"Enough! Sheena, change into something _nice_. None of that tomboy nonsense or Naomi will have my head. Haru, you get _nice_ clothes too. I'm warning you if you do not do as I say, I'll—" Naraku paused. This was the hard part. It wasn't hard to think of something threatening; the hard part was thinking of something threatening that _they_ would care about.

The two mischievous twins were sometimes just a little too mischievous. That was the bad part.

**-Feudal Era- **

Rin frowned down at her Sesshoumaru. Yes, he was hers. She believed this with all of her heart, but she knew she could never admit that she had fallen in love with the man she was meant to protect. Her mother had raised her with the very knowledge that she would someday find Sesshoumaru in those woods right up until her mother died.

Her mother's last words had been "find Sesshoumaru" so there was no escaping her destiny. The destiny she was fated to live. She couldn't _not_ protect Sesshoumaru. As a Secret-Keeper, it was her destiny to keep secrets; to protect those secrets as though they were her children. Sesshoumaru was a secret that needed to be protected.

Though Sesshoumaru would never realize it, Rin had grown up in his presence, in a way. Through her mother, she knew everything about him. Her mother, and her mother's mother, had lived in Sesshoumaru's palace and it was that which she lived to learn from. It was the reason why Sesshoumaru allowed Rin to follow him safely; because she reminded him of the people from his past.

Rin reached out to touch his face, allowing that disease which was killing him to soak into his skin. When she had more than her body could bear, she released him, feeling rather tipsy. She fell back into strong yet feminine arms and the last thing she remembered seeing was Seirra's white-silver eyes.

"Thank you." She heard Seirra say, just before all conscious thought left her mind. Rin didn't respond and though Seirra could not see her face, she could hear her breath becoming shallower. If Seirra could have, she would have absorbed herself into Rin's body to heal her, but Rin was something other than human or demon. She just _was_ which made it impossible for Seirra to do anything.

There was no saving Rin. She stopped breathing. But she had completed her task and had managed to protect Sesshoumaru. Miroku's power was rapidly purifying the rest of the remaining disease. He would be okay once more.

**-Elsewhere- **

Miroku could wait no longer. With the traveling necessities that he had gathered up, he made haste to a back gate. He could not take the chance that Sango was waiting for a rescue and no one came. He could not take the chance that she could be in danger while he sat in mostly luxury in an ugly castle.

Perhaps someone else might take that chance, but he loved Sango, and aside from that, he would have a chance to take his vengeance out on Naraku. During the day he had managed to pick pocket the jewel shards from Inuyasha. He couldn't help but wonder if he was about to lose his life, but that came without saying.

Of course he was. But he would give his life for the others to live. That, too, was one answer that came without hesitation. He would die so others could live… including Sango.

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**A) **••••••••••••••••  
**B) **•••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

**D-mit! No more emailed votes! Use the review button! Voting is friggen closed now! And this isn't even the amount of emailed vote I got. I got tired of freaking counting. ****Huff huff... I'm okay now... Please review. Seriously. **


	119. Keiko's Phone Call

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Did the baby live? Oh Em Gee! I must know! That's not even crazy at all! I think I will read ahead, since I can do that you know. I have the notebooks with everything that happened right here up until the point where Inuyasha meets Future Inuyasha! I own the notebooks! Yaay! Excuse me whilst I read ahead and you are forced to not read ahead._

**•Important• Okay, I don't have too many of these, and when I do, usually they're in the disclaimer or something, but honestly I can't believe very many of you read those. Anyway, To explain: I know Hiei got the Jagan only about two years before meeting Yusuke, but since this is my story, what I say so totally becomes law. Hiei got the Jagan over 500 years ago. Yaay! You'll understand eventually if you don't already. **

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Chapter one hundred nineteen: Keiko's Phone Call

**-Human World- **

Kagome screamed as the immense pain tore through her. Something was wrong. Something was halting her from being able to give birth. There was something wrong with her. Outside the house, lights began to turn on in the houses down the street as everyone woke due to the screaming coming from number 1637 Halo Road.

Hiei was nervously holding Kagome in his arms. She was too special to lose and he didn't care if she didn't want them to call the paramedics. Easily inserting himself inside Keiko's mind, he demanded of her, _Call the paramedics immediately._

Keiko looked at Hiei only to be awarded with a glare that promised extreme pain if she didn't do as he said. Keiko didn't doubt that he would deliver that pain either. The bruise on her face told her that he would. She made haste to the phone and dialed the emergency numbers.

"Don't call the hospital!" Kagome begged. "N-no doctors."

_Make the fucking call or I will not bother to hold any restraint with you._ Keiko pushed the connect button on her phone and held it to her ear, despite Kagome's rambled cries. She thought it was nice that Hiei had found someone to worry about in a way, but she wasn't exactly pleased that she was ending up on the brute end of Hiei's strange affection.

**-12 Hours Later- **

Kagome finally slept peacefully. It had been a very long night for her, but finally just an hour before she had managed to finish giving birth to the baby—a young girl who was for the most part healthy. Keiko and Hiei had gone with her to the hospital and were asked to wait in the waiting room.

Hiei had paced the entire time and Keiko had constantly made trips to the payphone to try getting a hold of Yusuke, but received only a dead line every time. When Hiei had stopped pacing to face the direction of the doors that Kagome had gone through, his voice rang in Keiko's mind. _I can hear it crying._

From the way his mental voice was calm and quiet, Keiko had guessed he sensed nothing off. He seemed slightly awed, in fact. She had to hide the smile behind her hand. The big bad wolf in grandmother's house was more like the cute little puppy in a Christmas basket. Not even the thought of all that he had done to her earlier—beating her like she was a rag doll—could make her think he was all bad.

She had just been stupid. She had made a comment she shouldn't have. He wasn't Yusuke, she had to remember that.

It was six thirty PM now, though, and Keiko was on her way to spend her last thirty-five cents on the phone trying to get a hold of Yusuke for the umpteenth time. She crossed her fingers in hope as she left the room where she and Hiei were next to Kagome. Hiei sat at the bed beside Kagome, actually showing affection by holding her hand as she slept, exhausted from giving birth for hours.

As she inserted the money into the machine, she hoped that this time she wouldn't get a dead line. After a second, it did ring and it made her breathe a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure exactly what she would say, but she knew she had to say something. She actually was disappointed to get the answering machine.

"Yo, if you're sellin' shit, hang up and don't try again later—**YUSUKE URAMESHI!**—sorry mom! **You start that over, young man!** What if I don't feel like it? **Yusuke...** Aw hell, mom, it ain't like anyone calls us anyway! **What do I have to do to ingrain into that poor airhead skull of yours that I said NO!** Awright, fine. How's this for a message then? My mom is stingy and acting like she's got a bug up her OW! Isn't that child abuse? **No, you were asking for it anyway. **Aha! So it is!** Hang that up and redo it right now! **Nah, I don't feel like it. **Yusuke, come back here! Ugh, boys. Now how do you work this thing?**" BEEEP.

Keiko smiled at that message. It was just like him. She blinked, realizing she should be speaking her message already. "Kagome's at Shianna Hospital. She went into premature labor and gave birth. I've been trying to get a hold of you since she appeared by my house, but you hung up and I think took the phone off the hook..."

Keiko paused, trying to get her nerve up and then said without realizing that his answering machine had already cut off, "I'm really sorry for all I put you through, Yusuke. I know I was wrong now, but I won't ask you to take me back. In fact, I'd like to make it clear that I'm going to move on with my life and that you should too." She seriously doubted she could move on with her life. Yusuke had been a big piece of her and made up a lot of her personality.

"You deserve more than anything I have to offer." Keiko told a dead line, still not knowing that he would never get the full message. "You deserve more than a girl who will slap you for being perverted. And for pretty much everything you said and did... I'm not the one who can fill that place beside you. I never stopped loving you, no. You..."

Keiko held back a sob as she said the rest. "You can't stop loving what you never loved in the first place. I guess these months have just told me that I never liked you being perverted towards me, I never liked your dangerous efforts with work, and I never liked your constant skipping class. It sounds dumb and hurtful, I know... But I'm not good enough for you. I can't accept you as you are, and that's what you deserve. You deserve a woman who will accept you without any change at all... I guess... that's all I have to say... I'm sorry. Goodbye, Yusuke..."

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**Next chapter you finally find out what kind of demon Ryuichi is! Or do you? Haha! Just kidding, you may or may not! **(Really depends on how insightful you are and if you read between the lines of this story, which you totally should...) **That's just crazy...** (You know you want to finish that sentence...go ahead...give into the urge...) 


	120. Evil Eye Demon

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I read ahead. Want a spoiler? Wanna know if the baby lives or dies? Heh, too bad I won't give it to you even if you wanted it! Ahahaha, yes, yes, I enjoy your pain. I bask in the knowledge that you don't know what happens next and I do. I own your torment! AHAHA! Or do I?...something to ponder in the lonely nights of June..._

**•Important• See AN for previous chapter! It's so important, you can read it twice!**

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Chapter one hundred twenty: Evil Eye Demon

"I hang up my tears  
Lock away my pain  
Recalling all I have done  
There was nothing for me  
We're through  
You made that clear  
I wish you had known  
Just how much  
You meant to me  
Baby, I still love you"  
-Keiko

Somehow her legs had found their way back to the room where Hiei still sat in the same position as before with his hand still holding Kagome's. He never looked at Keiko, but Keiko heard his voice in her mind all the same. _You lied. You loved it when he touched you. You loved his rebellious nature, and you fantasized that one day he would take you on a mission and you would be able to watch him fight again, though you never asked because you knew he wouldn't want to put you in danger. _

_Get the hell out of my head!_ She snapped at him. She stalked over to the seat she had taken earlier and sat down heavily, glaring at the demon who thought he could just intrude on her mind. He could, and he did. He didn't just 'think he could'.

_You accepted him just as he was. The reason you never told him about the job at the underwear store was because you were embarrassed and ashamed of it, not because you didn't trust him or because he didn't deserve to know._

Keiko tried to ignore the demon in her mind. It was hard when she knew he was telling the truth. Despite the fact that Hiei couldn't read, he sure knew how to read her mind like an open book. Not that that was a good thing for her. He was making her unable to believe her own lie. He was only telling her exactly what those hidden thoughts were that she didn't want to think about.

He was forcing her to live with what she had done, and she didn't like it at all. What did this demon have against her? Why was he forcing this upon her? But what he said next surprised her. _But it is what I would have done._

"What?" Keiko asked him, disbelieving that he had actually been the one to say that in her mind. She was probably the one who had thought it as a way to make herself feel better with what she had done.

Hiei shrugged and said no more. Psh, he had already said too much. She didn't need to know that Hiei had a strange set of morals that he followed. She didn't need to know that Hiei at least respected her for trying to right a wrong, despite how hurtful it might seem to the outsider. No one could truly comprehend the move Keiko had just pulled on the chessboard without being one of the pieces remaining on the board, but unfortunately the only pieces left on the board were the Queen, King, a rook, and a bishop.

Hiei knew which pieces were there, but who played them? The King would be Yusuke. He would understand Keiko perfectly well. He would be grateful that the little dance of ellusion was over. One space at a time, or one day at a time, it was how he worked. They would no longer have to avoid one another due to her majorly selfless act. The Queen would be Keiko, able to move in any direction, as many spaces as she wanted because she had the will to do it, the genius and even the street smarts to do so. She was smarter than anyone really realized.

The rook... yes, that was Hiei. On the board because he choose to be. On the board because he knew what failure was like. On the board because he had not found any way out, only a way into this entire mess. On the board because he had a conscience that wouldn't allow himself to let Keiko continue to lie to herself.

One thing Hiei had learned about life while living with the bandits so long ago was to be honest with one's own self even if not with the rest of the world, and while Hiei didn't always bring this into practice he knew it was a valuable lesson he had learned. He had learned this a rather rough way, butit was a lesson that rang true.

But the bishop? Hiei knew there was someone else on the board, but their image elluded him. He couldn't tell who they were, just that he knew they were there. He wasn't even sure how he knew they were there!

Thinking back on his past, Hiei realized something then. He was trying to get Keiko to be honest with herself, but then he never gave a thought to being honest with _himself_. He grinned ruefully at Keiko before glancing at Kagome, his eyes wandering her peaceful face. _Kagome is the first person who has ever accepted me at face value. Not even Hakushiimaru did that... _

Keiko pulled her knees up to her chest, smiling warmly at him. The bruise on her face was covered by makeup--she had redone the makeup soon after they arrived at the hospital with what little she kept in her purse--but the cut still showed. It had scabbed at least and it looked worse than it was._I hope it's not rude, but... who is Hakushiimaru?_

_An annoying demon who gave up his eye for me._ Hiei's eyes never left Kagome's, but even from the angle Keiko was at, she could still see the flicker of a pained past in his eyes. Neither of them knew why he was telling this, but he was and so she listened. _This eye, my third eye, it is calleda Jagan. An Evil Eye. There is a reason for that. It is because it belonged to a demon who was called the Evil Eye Demon. They have eyes and ears everywhere; they can slip through the barriers of time as though it is putty; they are among the most dangerous demons out there, the most threatening. But their strength physically definitely could give their emotions a run for their money. Hakushiimaru I met before the bandits..._

Keiko listened to the story with something of a sick fascination. She didn't know why, but that was how it affected her. Hiei was composed of two elements, and a demon--a _demon!_--had been kind enough to give up his own eye to help Hiei survive. Just as the Evil Eye Demon was able to balance time, the Jagan, the eye of the demon, was able to balance out the two elements that raged through Hiei so that he wouldn't tear himself apart even at his worst moment.

That was the reason why Hiei remained alive. He would have died otherwise just like the rest of the demon children who were born with mixed elements. That was why he was called the Forbidden Child, or Forbidden One. One, because he would never again find another like himself. Forbidden because of his opposing forces.

_Hell, I don't even know why I told you this. If I find someone else knows of this... _He warned, but she shook her head to indicate she would never tell. _I'm going to get a drink._ Hiei said suddenly and stood, leaving the room swiftly. When he made it to the water fountain, he saw Kurama and Yusuke both looking rather peeved at the fact that the nurse wouldn't tell them where the room was that held Kagome.

He took a long slurp from the water fountain (bubbler if an anal reader might insist) before opening a connection to Yusuke's mind. _Hell bent on getting to your cousin, are you?_ He inquired amused by Yusuke's protectiveness. He certainly knew that Kagome needed to be watched over. She was clumsy as hell. Round the clock watch wouldn't be so bad of an idea.

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**Totally tubular? O.o Uh... That's just crazy dude.  
Not even really sexy crazy. Just plain...weird crazy.**


	121. Very Broken Bubbler

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: "Hmm... Maybe the baby possibly living thing will be revealed next chapter. Maybe not. I OWN EVERYTHING! AHAHA!" Yes, the madness of one hundred twentyone chapters has gone to T.K.'s head. She would be very appreciative if you kind readers would knock some sense back into the mad woman. Go ahead. There is an assortment of beautifully antiquated weapons in the weapon parlor just down the hall to your left. Yes, that sentence severely contradicts itself. _

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Chapter one hundred twentyone: Very-Broken Bubbler

**-Elsewhere- **

Kurama had gone to Keiko's house, but no one was there when he had arrived. By the time he had arrived, the man who lived directly across the street from Keiko had been going to work, and upon questioning the man he had learned that an ambulance had come to Keiko's house early in the morning.

Honestly, he hadn't thought finding her would be such an enormous problem as it was becoming. He also hadn't really counted on there being more hospitals in the area than he had expected, so after searching the fifth one and receiving no help at all, he decided to search out Yusuke as he was the best bet at knowing where Kagome was.

It had been eleven hours since he had heard the message on Hiei's answering machine, eleven hours since he had delivered Rin's package to Hiei's house where he would doubtless find it at a later date whenever he decided to return to his home, and eleven hours since he had realized that he had a crush on Kagome.

The notorious fox thief Youko Kurama stuck with a crush on a human girl. Whoo that was an awkward realization. He had nearly been mauled by a semi when he distractedly walked into the road after thinking that. It was both disturbing and not at the same time. He couldn't help but think of his mother because of how much she wanted to choose his wife.

No, not Youko's mother. Shuichi's mother. Kurama sighed and thought about that for a moment. Why did he think of himself and Shuichi as separate still? They were together, and that was how it would be until the body died. But Kurama did wonder sometimes what Shuichi's mother would say were she to know that a fox thief's spirit resided in her son.

Or did she know already? There were those brief solitary moments when the woman would just stare at Kurama with a quiet contemplative look on her face as though she knew something dangerous. A shiver went up Kurama's spine as he thought of it. She could be rather freaky sometimes.

But maybe she was thinking about Kurama's choice of friends... The friends he was not supposed to see? Maybe she knew he never stopped talking to them, visiting with them, hanging with them. Yeah, basically that was the gist of it. He couldn't stop hanging out with them anyway because of the simple fact that Koenma kind of sort of ruled his life.

And now not only was Koenma fucking with his life, but King Enma as well! Angrily he kicked at a pebble before looking up at the Elbe Housing Complex. Hopefully Yusuke would be home. He made his way up to the apartment and knocked on the door, only to have it thrown open before he had a chance to knock a second time. "Kags?" Yusuke asked hurriedly.

He seemed disappointed that it was only Kurama. "No, sorry." He apologized to his friend. Well, there went that idea. It was clear that Yusuke didn't know where she was either. Yusuke stepped aside and Kurama entered, watching the spirit detective miserably walk over and throw himself on his couch. "So I take it you don't know where she is either?" Kurama still had to ask it.

"No. She promised she'd be home last night, but she just had to take care of something at a friend's house. So, naturally, I waited. And waited. And she didn't come, so I went there to see if she was there when I got no answer on the phone. And then no one was there, so it was back to square one. I went everywhere around that I could think of, but she's nowhere!" All this was said in one long exaggerated breath.

"Why is your phone unplugged?" Kurama asked curiously. If Kagome had tried calling, Yusuke wouldn't have known.

"Keiko wouldn't stop calling." Yusuke was ready to punch something. Or maybe someone. Perhaps Hiei, considering he _was the friend Kagome was going to see!_ That would work. Yes, he would have to find Hiei, and very soon too. Soon soon soon! Oh and he would revel in the way his bones broke against cement pavement...

"Then I suppose you know Kagome went into labor and was taken to a hospital?" Kurama asked Yusuke.

"WHAT?" Yusuke couldn't believe his ears. Kurama walked over to the phone and plugged it back in. "What do you mean? She's only five months! Did the baby make it? What hospital?"

"If I knew, I would not remain here with you. I would have been there already." Kurama admitted. "I find it odd that I never realized the signs... Oh well..."

Just then, the phone rang. Yusuke stiffened, Kurama froze. The answering machine picked up, so why couldn't either of them move to pick it up? They both knew they wanted to. So why couldn't they move? What sort of spell had woven itself around the two?

"Yo, if you're sellin' shit, hang up and don't try again later—**YUSUKE URAMESHI!**—sorry mom! **You start that over, young man!** What if I don't feel like it? **Yusuke...** Aw hell, mom, it ain't like anyone calls us anyway! **What do I have to do to ingrain into that poor airhead skull of yours that I said NO!** Awright, fine. How's this for a message then? My mom is stingy and acting like she's got a bug up her OW! Isn't that child abuse? **No, you were asking for it anyway. **Aha! So it is!** Hang that up and redo it right now! **Nah, I don't feel like it. **Yusuke, come back here! Ugh, boys. Now how do you work this thing?**" BEEEP.

"Kagome's at Shianna Hospital. She went into premature labor and gave birth. I've been trying to get a hold of you since—" The answering machine cut off the rest of the message but neither needed to know anymore anyway. Free from whatever trance had held him in place, Yusuke ran out of the apartment and straight for Shianna Hospital.

Kurama was rather peeved. He had _been_ at Shianna Hospital! It had been the first place he had gone when he was checking hospitals! They had specifically said that no one by the name of Higurashi was at the hospital! It was hardly kind of them to lie to him like that!

Once he got to the hospital—exhausted and red faced from a long night of no sleep and from running the entire way—Yusuke stormed up to the counter and demanded to see his cousin. "I'm sorry," the lady at the counter said, "There is no Kagome Higurashi here."

"Don't play stupid with me, wench!" Yusuke spat. "Kagome is here! You will not keep my fucking cousin from me! I'll have your damn head if you do!"

"Sir, you will refrain from threatening me, or I will have to call security." The desk lady told him firmly.

Yusuke balled his hand in a fist but then heard a whisper in his mind that made him go berserk with rage. _Hell bent on getting to your cousin, are you?_ He turned around, looking for the short guy, finding him by the water fountain—which by the way soon became just a spout of broken pipeline as Yusuke's fist busted right through it.

Hiei jumped out of the way, surprised. He really hadn't expected such a warm greeting. That actually might have hurt if he let it hit him. From the way that water was dripping all over the fountain-ated floor, wetting the mess that was a mauled bubbler. "You jackass, it's your fault isn't it? Kagome would have been fine! What did you do to her?" Yusuke snarled.

Kurama did not involve himself in the little fight. The desk lady asked him, "Sir, are you here with them?" Kurama thought for a moment, but then saw the security was coming to 'handle' the situation and decided on the best route. "Nope. Just coincidentally walked in at the same time." He told her smoothly and she nodded turning back to her work.

"I'm going to have to ask you to take your quarrel elsewhere, sirs." The security guy stated before noticing the mauled bubbler. Of course, his soaking feet didn't do too much to his happiness scale. "Everyone get down! Mission oneto control, we have a situation here. Going to need backup! Over."

"Control to mission one. Backupis on its way. Over."The intercom called.Soon the place was swarming with security that seemed to pop out of nowhere. How they did that, none of the spirit detectives in the place had an idea on. It was implausible, and shouldn't have happened. They seemed to walk out of the very shadows in the place.

"Mission two to mission one. Backup has arrived. Over."

"Mission one to mission two. I see the backup. Over."

"Mission seventeen to mission one. Take 'em down! Over."

"Mission one to mission seventeen. Order understood. Over."

"Control to mission one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen,nineteen, and twenty. Remove troublemakers from the premises is the primaryobjective. Over."

"KAAA!"Screamed "mission one". Kurama had to physically bite his lip to keep from laughing. Yes, Shianna hospital wasn't exactly what one could call a normal hospital. It housed the weirdest staff. "Dog pile!" Another security guy shouted before jumping Yusuke, swinging him down to the ground. Likewise went for Hiei and back and forth until both had about ten security guys on their backs.

_This is most uncomfortable._ Yusuke heard Hiei say in his mind. _Why the hell did you attack me anyway?_

Yusuke thought about that. No, he didn't really know why, but he was pretty good at pulling things out of his ass every now and then. He had been pretty mad that Hiei was there with no thought to call him! That was where his excuses came anyway... nothing else. No. He was NOT gay. Then why the hell was he questioning himself about it if he wasn't? Shit, was he gay on some subliminal level? God, where the hell are these questions coming from? He wondered.

_Your thoughts are disgusting. _Hiei told him firmly. _And I did try calling, once. Your phone was dead. _

"Shuddap!"

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**Crazy crazy. Sexy crazy. That's just crazy, but sexy crazy. La-dee-da.**


	122. Miroku's Agony

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: T.K. brings this to you from the netherworld. She was shot down by a dangerously cheesy lawyer in a bonbon cap for her rampant suggestion of owning everything. "I've come to realize I update entirely too often. So unless I find something in the notebooks that might make a reader comment on, I won't bother to upload. How's that for nickerbockers? The shoe fits both ways. I do not own."_

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Chapter one hundred twentytwo: Miroku's Agony

**-Human World- **

He was flirting shamelessly and he knew it, but after five hundred years it no longer seemed as fun as it had all those years ago when he had a woman to be jealous for him. Now that he no longer could die without instant resurrection due to the barrier, nothing seemed fun anymore. It actually made him feel old.

His brown eyes searched the brunette before him for any indication that she didn't just want him for his ungodly body, but he found none. She was looking for a one-nighter, which she probably would get, but he was tired of those. He wanted companionship. Of course, there were few humans who could live as long as he would, and even fewer demons who would want to remain by his side.

All demons wanted from him were passage to the human world, which he had to be careful not to grant. Sometimes lesser demons slipped by his notice, but most of the time the barrier he was connected to let no one pass without the written consent signed by Sesshoumaru or his son Koenma.

But that didn't mean that Miroku didn't mess up sometimes. After all, despite his strange and uncanny ability to live for hundreds of years as the Guardian of the Barrier, he was still human and he still made mistakes. Everyone did every now and then. With a sigh, Miroku thought about his children.

Eighteen years ago, he had thought he found a woman who was willing to be his companion, only to have her die in childbirth. Miroku had taken care of his kids—twins to be exact—for three years, but the barrier had been neglected in that time and that was no good thing. A swarm of demons had surged through.

Koenma and Sesshoumaru had both aided Miroku in correcting this mistake and while most of the demons were forced back through the barrier, there had been a few female demons who were allowed to stay because of the fact that the barrier would kill the child.

With another inaudible sigh, Miroku raised the glass of alcohol to his lips, finishing the drink off. He had been forced to give up his children but Sesshoumaru had promised they would be well taken care of. As he looked at the brunette, the woman seemed to look far more beautiful than he knew she was, and yet he decided just to leave her there.

"Hey!" The girl called. "Wait up!" She raced after his rather lonely looking character, exiting only seconds after him, but found the streets to be deserted. There was no one there, but no place around that he could have hidden himself, and no door he could have entered. It was like he had just disappeared! She couldn't believe it was even possible, so went back inside to look for him.

Miroku sighed and shook his head, jumping down from his perch on a lamp post to land easily on the ground in his sandal clad feet. He was intoxicated and he knew it, but he didn't look it or sound it as he began to sing quietly, making his way towards the main street and away from the club. "Requiem aeternam..."

After so long, was there even anything to live for? Not really, but he had made the wish. He had destroyed his own life. He was neither dead, nor alive for any purposes. He was an ethereal being, an entity that walked the face of the earth with one purpose only: to Guard the Barrier between the Human world and Demon world. That was his duty.

Proof of the heavy weight on his shoulders came from the fact that he couldn't even see his own children because of this burden. Sango had been taken from him long ago by a demon that he would forever hold a grudge against, and there was a face in his past that was shadowed by grief and more responsibility than even Miroku had. That face... it was _her_. It was Kagome Higurashi, the woman who traveled through time.

Miroku smiled, but it was a smile of misery and only showed his pain further. His heart yearned to once more be in the presence of the comforting woman, not because he was in love with her but because he felt a kinship with her. They both were doomed for life, because of responsibility. He was glad that he still had memories of her. There were only three who still did remember her from the past.

Sesshoumaru was one of them. Miroku was another. And Sesshoumaru's wife was the third. Everyone else had forgotten because the wish had made them forget and there was nothing to bind her to them at the time.

It had been far too long since he had been born. But he had made the wish, and he had destroyed his own life. A lonely spirit meant only to wander the streets of darkness and without solace.

People looked out their apartment windows, trying to find the source of the eerily beautiful singing but could not. He knew they wouldn't because he didn't want to be seen. No one could see through his Holy barrier when he had put it up. Tears streamed down his face, but evaporated before they left his chin.

The dark night was unforgiving, wasn't it? It said, "Be alone, Miroku." It screamed that at him. This was his fate, to be accompanied only by the sun and shadow. A harsh fate to befall any person. He would have broken down years ago if he hadn't lived through horror the first twenty five years of his life already.

He looked at his right hand where the wind tunnel still resided, its danger halted but it was only proving to be more of a burden at that moment. He had made that wish. _He_ had made that wish. _He_ had deceived the deceptive one into thinking that he needed vengeance for the betrayal that was Sango and Ryuichi.

But the truth was, though he harbored a grudge to Ryuichi, he still... he still to that day loved Sango and wanted her to be happy. If her being happy meant that she was with Ryuichi, he would live on and continue to protect the barrier. After all, it wasn't like Sango remembered him anyway. She was probably off having fun and doing whatever she liked.

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**I can't believe I'm crying like a baby right now... Poor Miroku, even I think I'm cruel for doing that... I hate myself... I will update as soon as I get 7 reviews. So lonely...**


	123. Miroku's Hate

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: T.K. thinks someone probably should unlock the door to the Netherworld so she can get out. She still doesn't own._

**I do not mind at all if you wish to place this story on your C2! Thanks for asking, Ryutsu!**

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Chapter one hundred twentythree: Miroku's Hate

Miroku stopped walking when he saw two teens, a demon and a human, being tossed on their rumps out of the hospital. "And don't come back!" The security personnel told them.

"My cousin's in there! You can't keep me out!" The human boy with slicked back black hair yelled at the retreating security's back. He then turned to the other boy and said, "This is all your damn fault!"

"My fault? You're the idiot who smashed their bubbler into a pile of nuts and bolts!" The other insisted, crimson eyes blazing angrily at the accusation, but then Miroku felt eyes on him and blinked, looking around. No one was looking at him, and it was only he and the two boys in this area. No one had ever lain eyes on the Guardian of the Barrier when he didn't want to be seen!

"Yes, your fault! Why the fuck are you here and even if my phone was off the hook, you still got that weird thingy on your head," he pointed furiously to the short demon's forehead where a kerchief was, "that can make you do that whole mind-reading thing! You could have contacted me that way, but no! You have to go being an ass!"

"Jackass, continue poking me and I'll kick your ass from here to China!" the demon threatened, rubbing his forehead.

Miroku sighed and walked over to the two. After all, he couldn't exactly leave a demon to kick someone's rear end cross continent and sea to another land, which probably could be done. Before he could get more than a few steps closer though, the two broke out in a fight and Miroku was surprised to see that the human seemed to be the danger. He was raging.

Miroku searched his pockets as the two fought and the cement tiles beneath them were torn up into gravel. He found what he was looking for and pulled it out, ripping the paper in half. It was the brunette woman's phone number, but it wasn't like he intended to call her or anything. He licked the ink and with a bored sigh—he had done this so many times it just got old after a while—he used his Holy power to rearrange the marks.

He tossed the papers and they shot right at the two teens, plastering to their forehead and making them unable to move a muscle. Letting down his barrier, he finished approaching them and looked from one to the other. "I don't think now is the best time to fight."

"Of course it is," Yusuke snapped at Miroku. "He got me kicked out of the hospital and now I can't see my cousin and her baby! I don't even know if the baby made it! Survival! Gah! And on top of that, I'm having weird gender issues going through my head!"

Miroku chuckled humorlessly. The best way to get the truth out of someone was to make his wards bind all lies inside the being's body. That too got old, and it made Miroku only lonelier than before.

"Never once did you think to ask me whether or not the kid made it?" Hiei drawled carelessly, surprised at the amount of control in his body. His elements were completely balanced because of the Holy power. That was strange. One would have thought he'd be purified before balanced by Holy power.

"Okay, fine, did the baby make it?" Yusuke growled at Hiei, his eyes glaring so hard that if looks could kill, Hiei might have been six feet under a few times already.

"She's in an incubator, but she's just fine. Kagome lost a lot of blood though, so they're worried about her health more so than the baby's." Hiei replied, his voice getting softer as he finished up.

Miroku turned toward the hospital at the name Kagome. He didn't think Kagome was the same girl from his past, but the thought did cross his mind. What if she was? But what if she wasn't? "Hey you! Remove this stupid paper!" Yusuke called to Miroku, but Miroku just looked at him for a second and then shrugged, saying, "You two have issues you need to work out. Have at it."

Aside from that, Miroku felt pity on a child he did not know. His mother might die? It brought tears to his eyes at the very thought. The kid would never get to know his mother? Like his own children never got to know their mother? Miroku had been unable to save his wife, but if he could make it up somehow... if he could help another child know her mother...

Miroku placed his hand over his heart and used his Holy power to transform his clothes into that of a priest—black shirt and pants with a white collar. He walked up to the counter, taking note of how empty the place seemed. There were janitors making quick work of fixing a mangled bubbler, but other than that, no one else was there except the desk lady.

"Hello." He said solemnly to the lady at the counter, making sure to allow woe into his eyes. Sadness got to the hearts of women. "I am here to pray for a woman named Kagome and her child on behalf of her family."

Miroku had to be sure not to scoff at the woman when she immediately looked at him and burst into tears. "Oh it's so sad! She gave birth four months early! But the doctors think the baby will live! But then she doesn't look so well, and she has done nothing but sleep since!"

Miroku hated people who thought they knew what sadness was. They would never truly know sadness until they had to live through the agony of it. Doctors especially could not know sadness. They saw it every day, but they could not feel the emotional torment that the soul went through because it was not their own sadness, it was someone else's. "Yes, it is an unfavorable situation." Miroku told her, keeping on her good side.

"Excuse me, I need a tissue." The woman cried. "She's in room thirteen."

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**That's just crazy. Very sad crazy... •sniff•**


	124. Miroku's Loneliness

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: T.K. is really feeling bad for what she has to put Miroku through... "Poor guy..." She still doesn't own._**_

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Chapter one hundred twentyfour: Miroku's Loneliness

An unlucky number. Miroku noticed. Everyone who believed in superstition believed thirteen to be the devil's number. Miroku thanked the woman while really what he wanted to do was take the computer monitor of hers and beat her with it until she was bloody and broken. She did not know sadness! She pretended to be hurt! She knew not the life that Miroku or any other **_truly_** burdened person. She would never know.

He made his way toward room thirteen, taking note that the strange hospital housed demons and humans, some of them not-so-subtly. Green faces with horns and scaled faces with fangs stared back at him through some of the windows. He heard crying to his left and went down that hall, finding a long glass wall. Behind it were rows of children both human and demon alike.

One child stuck out from the rest because of her enormous aura. He walked up to the glass beside the incubator to look at the child. Intelligent brown eyes looked back at him, the child seeming to be speculating him before she crinkled her nose up and giggled, pointing at him. She was no normal child, he could tell already.

But somehow, deep in his heart, he knew that this was the premature baby. Or it could have been the fact that she was the only one in an incubator. She looked perfectly healthy, as though she had been in the womb for a perfect nine months. She giggled again and pulled her foot into her mouth, chewing on her toes.

No, he thought. She looked like she had been in the womb for nine months and at least seven or eight months old. Was he witnessing a child prodigy? He had seen so many before her. Mozart had been one. Oh there had been so many. Miroku, ever lonely, had shared something in common with these people because they knew loneliness and sadness.

Another tear slipped past the barricade of his eyes and he made no move to wipe it away. This girl, would she be sad? Would she know loneliness? He turned and walked away from the giggling child. He couldn't let the child grow up without a mother, could he? He knocked politely on the door to the room before entering.

The first thing he saw was a woman lying prone on a bed, tubes and wires connected to machines monitoring her vital signs. The sight brought him to his knees and he sent a prayer to Buddha at the miracle before him. He would never again question himself or second guess! Well, of course he probably would... but at the moment he didn't care.

Rising to his feet, he walked over to the bed and the woman that lay upon it, not unaware of the two who sat in chairs by the window watching him. Indeed, as he got closer to Kagome he saw the minions of death—unseen by most—crawling on her chest and stomach. With a bitter chuckle, he reached one finger toward the first little minion.

"That won't do." He whispered and purified the creature until it was nothing. He did the same with the others on her before placing a finger on her lips. His Holy power soared through her, cleansing her of all the evils of death. She still harbored all the sadness from before, he noticed. She did a great job at hiding it, but he could feel it there.

Miroku looked at the brown haired girl and red haired boy once he was finished. A witch and a fox spirit hidden in a human body. No, he took that back. An untrained girl with potential and a fox spirit in a human body. Shame, the girl did have a deal of potential. He smiled at them, portraying a happiness he did not feel at all. Oh it was just like the old days when he had to hide his pain behind a perverted mask.

Only then, the threat of death loomed over his head making him burdened. Now it was the threat of life that burdened him and made him lonely. He couldn't help but wonder if this was how Kagome felt right before she traveled time for the very last time with those terrible wounds. Secret-Keeper, bent on life. Life bent on the Secret-Keeper. Both statements were so accurate it wasn't funny.

"Who are you?" the girl asked.

"Just a man in passing." Miroku told her, running his hand through his disheveled hair. Somewhere along the line he had lost the tie that kept his hair in the dragon tie. He also needed a haircut. Forever stuck at the age of twenty-five, but that didn't mean his hair didn't grow still. He had to get it trimmed regularly.

In observing the two people in the room, Miroku found that the girl knew loneliness. She didn't know it because of the recent breakup, which he could sense had affected it some, but it wasn't everything. She had responsibility. She had life. She had...intelligence. Defiant to a peak, she was. He could tell. The bruise and cut on her face told him it.

He walked over to her and cupped her cheek in his hand, tilting her head up so he could see her better in the fading light of the afternoon. Gray dusk would settle on them soon. "Yes, just a man in passing." He whispered, and she could feel warmth grazing through her. She blushed, as would any woman. Miroku knew what five hundred years of experience did to a person.

Kurama quirked an eyebrow at the strange man but then noticed the cut on Keiko's face was fading and continued to do so until it was just a bright scar that would remain there for all of time. Keiko was staring up at Miroku with grateful eyes and he smiled down at her, for once not as lonely as always. She, this young girl, seemed to understand.

Miroku didn't know how it was possible, but strangely enough, just looking in her eyes he knew she saw the pain he had felt through his life. He knew she saw. _She saw_. But that was all that Miroku would ever be to anyone. He would only ever be _just a man in passing_ and it made him ache for companionship even more.

Standing up straight, he removed his hand from her cheek and smiled. Not a perverted smile. Not a disgusted smile. Not a smile with a secret meaning. Just... a smile to smile. "How's that?" He asked her.

"Thank you... it's much better." She blushed as he looked at her, but then he disappeared as though he had never been there before. The only proof that he had been there seemed to be in the fact that the cut wasn't there anymore and had been replaced with the scar trailing from her eye and half way down her cheek.

Outside the hospital, Miroku stopped in front of the two frozen boys before peeling the papers off of them. He turned his back on them and began walking away from them. _Wait._ He heard in his mind, turning back to face the boys. The human boy went back to staring at the hospital. The demon stared at Miroku.

Gray darkness was settling around them. Miroku observed the two boys. There was that responsibility again, just like he had seen on the two in the room with Kagome. They carried dangerous secrets. Miroku recognized them. They had passed through the barrier to the Demon world and to the Spirit world so many times Miroku had lost count.

They were Koenma's supposed pets. They had to do as they were bid, _or else._ They knew responsibility. They knew loneliness. But they didn't know loneliness like Miroku did. They didn't know the true burden it was to be a Guardian of something so unforgiving. The only other who would know it like he did...Kagome Higurashi, the woman sleeping on that bed, was the last one alive who would ever know what he knew.

_Is she okay?_

Of course, Miroku figured the demon boy would have realized he went to see Kagome. Miroku wondered just how it ended up that he would be leaving instead of staying with Kagome, but for some reason, he just could bear the thought of Kagome seeing him like he was. He was weak. He was lonely. He was sad. He could barely live with himself when drunk, it was fifty times worse when he was sober.

Miroku did not speak to respond. He raised his palm, a sphere of light forming there, attracting the attention of the human boy as well. The light became a heavy glass and very large marble, through which showed the room Kagome was in. Miroku tossed it over to Hiei and turned before waiting for him to catch it.

Back to a lonely life. Back to wandering the earth endlessly. Back to...his fate. Salt filtered his senses and moisture on his cheeks made him understand the inevitable. No longer would there be a day when he would be able to go without crying at least five times. He opened a portal to the place where he resided... To the place that was his home... To the place that weighed heavily on his soul... To the barrier.

"Inside the barrier  
Lonely inside the barrier  
Sadness awaits  
Forgive me, my wish  
Places me inside the barrier"  
-Miroku

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**That's just crazy. Very sad crazy... •sniff•**


	125. Unhealthy Baby?

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: T.K. recalls how Miroku knew the baby was perfectly healthy in the last chapter. Dude, he's a 500 year old monk... he should know... That she still doesn't own._**_

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Chapter one hundred twentyfive: Unhealthy Baby?

Kagome gasped as she woke up about an hour after Miroku had left. "My baby!" she cried, nervously looking around the room. No one was there. No one was in the room. She got up and looked at the wires and tubes sticking out of her, pulling them off. Really, she felt fine. She looked around and saw the cloak that her nameless friend usually wore was on the chair beside her bed.

Was he there? Did he really stay with her? So him holding her hand wasn't a dream after all? She walked out of the room toward the nurse who had clean robes in her basket. "Excuse me, where are the newborns?" She asked the lady.

"Miss Yukimura? Oh, you're awake? I bet you're hungry. Here take a robe and we'll get you something to eat, hmm?" The kind lady handed her a white robe which she put on, but she really did just want to see her baby. She didn't care if she starved to death afterward; she wanted to see her child.

"May I see my baby?" Kagome asked again and the woman looked at her for a long moment. Kagome self-consciously pulled the robe tighter around herself, suddenly feeling bare. It might not have been so weird if she wasn't being called by Keiko's last name, but the hospital was weird and served only famed family names.

Keiko was clearly a 'famed family name' in this part of the city. She lived in a house, not an apartment. She basically had her own private hospital. And her father... Yes, her father was dating Kagome's Aunt Atsuko. That... had been... a shock. So it was only good that Yusuke broke it off with Keiko, but it did make Kagome feel bad.

Still, Kagome wanted to see her baby. "Alright, dear. Come with me." The lady walked down the hall and turned a corner and Kagome's eyes were drawn to a baby in an incubator. "Is that my baby?" She had a feeling it was. The baby was an exact copy of Kagome's baby pictures, only smaller and a bit paler.

The lady nodded. "Yes, that is. You never named her. Are you going to?"

Kagome shook her head. "I haven't decided what to name her yet. She's... she's so beautiful." Kagome smiled at her baby. She was sleeping. Her baby looked so adorable!

"The doctor says it's good you went into early labor." The nurse lady said to Kagome. "Because she's big for her age. She should be only about ten or eleven ounces, but she's over a pound."

Kagome couldn't help but feel a surge of pride for her baby. Her baby was a survivor. Her baby was as stubborn as the rest of the Higurashi family. It ran in their blood. "When can I take her home?"

"When she reaches a healthy weight level. She's sick now, being born early." Kagome nodded, but her baby looked perfectly healthy, if a bit small. Kagome watched the lady walk away. "Come, dear. It is time to eat. Wouldn't want you to get ill, now."

Turning her head back to her baby, she stood there and wrapped her arms around her shoulders nervously. What she wouldn't give for company at that moment. What she wouldn't give for someone to hold her in their arms and just tell her that everything would work out okay. The nurse lady saying her baby was sick made her antsy.

Could it be true? Kagome had helped give birth to babies before and they looked just like her baby at the time but grew out of it. Of course, she had to keep in mind this was the _future_ she was talking about. They had better technology now than they did five hundred years before. Maybe her baby was sick on the inside?

"Please be okay..." she whispered.

It was like this that Keiko found Kagome ten minutes later, just staring at her daughter. Just staring at the being that had once been malicious Ka, but was now innocent baby. Keiko sighed, relieved to have found Kagome. "She looks just like you." Keiko told Kagome, who giggled at the statement. "Well, it's true. What's so funny? I was just complimenting you!"

Kagome shook her head. "I'm sorry; it's just odd to hear it because she doesn't have a father." Keiko looked at Kagome sharply, clearly questioning Kagome's sanity, but Kagome shrugged. It was true. The baby in the incubator had no father. There was only Kagome. Kagome ignored the questioning glances. "I want to take her home." Kagome couldn't convince herself that something was wrong with her baby.

Nothing was wrong with her baby. Nothing could be wrong with her baby! What the hell were they thinking trying to keep her baby away from her? Her baby would be fine! "I'm sure you do, but she was born premature, so it's best if she stays here until she's a healthy weight and size." Keiko tried to tell Kagome calmly.

"No." Kagome said firmly, her resolve growing. Nothing was wrong with her baby. Nothing at all was wrong with that child in there. Kagome could feel it inside of her, like a connection. It told her that nothing was wrong with her baby. "I will be back for her." She turned heel and started to walk toward the exit of the hospital, only to be stopped by Keiko before she got much more than a step.

"Don't you think it would be beneficial to get dressed?" Keiko held out a bag of clothes to Kagome that she had just bought. Kagome blushed and nodded. "A man came while you were sleeping. He dressed like a Christian priest, but acted like a Buddhist monk. After he left, your health improved dramatically."

Kagome looked around for a bathroom sign, only half paying attention to Keiko. "Buddhist monk, you say? I know one... Ah," she walked hastily toward the bathroom, following the signs. Keiko kept pace with her easily and they entered the bathroom. Kagome went into a stall to change. Kagome knew her baby was fine. She would not let her baby stay there.

That was why she was going to find her dear friend Sesshoumaru and ask a favor of him. If he lived so long, certainly he would have sought out power of some level! Damn it, he better have, because her baby was fine!

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	126. Keiko's Gift

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: T.K.'s version of, **"How you know you've had a bad day."** Scroll down for chapter if you don't want to read this. _

_1. You wake up and find out there is no milk in the house, but a load of cereal.  
2. You spend the morning trying to conquer your computer, only to find out that it actually is smarter than you.  
3. You just happen to look out the window of your kitchen,only tofind your mother's llama out in the neighbor's field.  
4. You spend the afternoon trying to conquer the llama and get it back in your yard and then in the barn, only to find out that it is actually smarter than you.  
5. You're standing in the field trying to coax the llama to come back 'home' even while plotting which gun to use to shoot it, only to feel the tell-tale signs of 'bad luck' between your legs. Piss being a girl and the period...at the end of a sentence.  
__6. You finally manage to get the llama out of the field, only to find that it's heading for the field across the street instead of the barn.  
7. You finally manage to get the llama in your yard, only to realize that it's not racing for the barn, it's racing for the back fields of your property.  
8. After much hard effort, which you are not used to putting forth, you manage to get the llama in the barn, only to realize you still have that blasted bucket o'corn.  
9. Somehow you manage to squeeze into the barn and get the bucket inside without letting the llama-escapee out, only to be spit at by the damn 'little' llama's mommy.  
__10. Finally getting the barn door locked, you go inside the house and let the dogs out to go potty, then make your way to the phone to call your mom and tell her about how her llama got out, only to find that your dog appears to be running toward the back of the property where the ponds are...  
__11. Then, finally your day is crushed because you remember you don't even own Inuyasha, much less Yu Yu Hakusho!_**_

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Chapter one hundred twentysix: Keiko's Gift

Kagome wasn't sure how it happened, but she was slung into a routine once more. Keiko came with her to the hospital every day so she could visit her baby after school and she would stay there until late. Kagome was pleasantly surprised to find that Keiko wasn't as bad as she had thought. Perhaps hanging out with Inuyasha had been what did in Kagome's sense of judgment, but Keiko was very selfless.

Kagome warmed up to her quickly and, unsurprisingly, they became friends. Kagome would help Keiko on her history—it was the girl's worst subject, and Kagome's best—and Keiko would help Kagome on her math. Then, when their homework was done, they would sit in the chairs in the hall and look through the glass wall at the baby in the incubator.

Kagome had yet to decide on a name for her little girl, and it already had been a month. But her daughter was certainly growing. Kagome had not gotten to so much as hold her baby, but she knew that would make the day she finally got to hold her even better. Kagome was surprised at how intelligent her baby looked, but figured she should have guessed that.

Currently, Kagome was holding a grudge against Sesshoumaru. She was upset with him for using smooth words and making her promise not to take her baby from the hospital until she was released.

Yusuke likened her mood to her pregnancy mood swings, but then had to duck a swing of Kagome's hand so he wasn't slapped—which only further proved that she would continue to have pregnancy mood swings for the next four months or at least until her baby was out of the hospital.

When Kagome had left the hospital that first day, to seek out Sesshoumaru, she had immediately run into Yusuke, Kurama, and her nameless friend. Yusuke had rested his hands on her shoulders and gave her a deep stare before saying slowly, "You okay?"

That had been the beginning of a tantrum on her part. "No I am not okay!" she had yelled, making him step back a step. "Do I look okay? My baby is fine and they are saying she is sick!" After that she could remember going on a rant about the many things that could affect a baby's health, but she didn't remember at the time that there were more illnesses in the future than the past due to technology advancements.

Yusuke had taken it in stride and grabbed Kagome by the arm with one hand, putting his other arm around her shoulders. "Okay, we're going home now."

"But my baby!" Kagome had said. Instead, he ignored her. He had seen how tired she was even though she was severely angry. Yusuke had always taken it upon himself to make sure she was okay, even when they were little. He was her protector in a way, shielding her from hurt. He led her back to their apartment and forced her to lay down.

He had even put on the pink apron to cheer her up. And then, the routine began. Get up, eat the breakfast provided by Yusuke, go to school, hang out with Sesshoumaru during lunch, hang out with her nameless friend during a couple classes, be poked in the back by Yusuke during math class, enjoy the company of Kurama in advanced history class, and then meet Keiko outside the school and walk with her to the hospital.

After getting to the hospital, sit down and wait for her baby to wake from sleeping, work on homework with Keiko, talk to Keiko about the wonders of life, leave the hospital to go to the café down the street and eat supper, then go back to the hospital and sit and talk to Keiko about more of the wonders of life until both were sleepy and then Keiko would walk with Kagome to the Elbe Housing Complex before walking home herself alone.

After getting home, sit down to a second meal that Yusuke cooked and relay the events of the day to him. Sit through a lecture about how she needed to pick a name for her baby daughter. Practice her violin for twenty minutes until Yusuke threatened to take and break the thing because she was so bad at playing it, take a shower, and then go to bed only to wake up and do the entire routine again.

It had been a month since the routine started. That afternoon when they arrived, Kagome noticed the weaning look to her child, same as the day before. She and Keiko took up their usual seats and Kagome started her homework. Her baby was still asleep in the incubator and would be for another twenty minutes.

Kagome did worry about Keiko, her newest friend-who-really-wasn't-all-that-bad, when Keiko would walk home alone at night, but knew she couldn't exactly offer to let Keiko stay with them because Yusuke was uncomfortable with Kagome hanging out with her much less being around her himself.

It was part of the reason that Yusuke never came to the hospital with them. The other part was the tiny fact that he was no longer allowed to enter the hospital for apparently breaking a bubbler to pieces. Kagome had never noticed a broken bubbler, but there was a brand new one installed just near the room she had stayed in...

Kagome sighed and leaned back in her seat. It made her nervous, in truth that she never even got to hold her baby. "Kagome?" Keiko questioned her. "Do you mind if I leave? I wouldn't, but it is Tuesday." Ah yes, Tutoring Tuesday. Kagome smiled at Keiko. The only day that Keiko did not stay with Kagome the entire time because she went to teach someone how to read, but she did come back by nine PM.

"Go on." Kagome urged her friend. Kagome thought it was nice that Keiko took time to tutor people in how to read, but she knew that Keiko wasn't telling her something about it. There were new bruises on Keiko every Wednesday, and that was something that Kagome had not failed to notice.

But Keiko did not complain at all about these bruises. When Kagome had asked about them, Keiko had just smiled and shrugged, saying, "It's nothing, Kagome." She didn't come up with stupid excuses like, "I tripped on my cat and fell down the stairs," or "My refrigerator door decided to sock me a good one for slamming it shut," she just shrugged and stated that it was nothing.

Kagome would have been worried for Keiko if she was seeing someone, but Keiko had never mentioned having another boyfriend, so Kagome hoped that Keiko wasn't being beaten by anyone of male gender. She hoped that it was just as Keiko had said. Nothing.

"I'll be back later." Keiko said before smiling at Kagome and turning to leave, only to turn back and take her backpack off again, pulling a pink wrapped gift out of her backpack and handing it to Kagome. It was small and thin, rectangular shaped.

"Keiko, you didn't have to do this." Kagome insisted. After all, Keiko was paying for Kagome's hospital bill, and Kagome doubted that could be cheap. She looked at the wrapping, finding it to be as perfect as everything else that Keiko did. Kagome often wondered if she could ever achieve the same level of perfection that Keiko had mastered. Even the bow on it was perfect.

Keiko shook her head and just shrugged. "Then pretend I didn't." She turned and walked down the hall, quickly departing before Kagome could thank her. Kagome looked at the gift before slowly pulling the strings on the bow. A soft "Hem, Hem" sound stopped her from finishing opening it, and she looked towards the person who clearly requested her attention.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	127. Plucked String

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: The cloak Ka gave Kagome was left in the past. She will get it again when she returns there. I own Kagome's baby at least, since -bleeeeeeeeeeep- Higurashi was originally Ka, Kagome's opposite. Oh, did I just give away something? Oh, guess not. The ever-present censor-bleeper fixed that problem. Almost thought I gave away the baby's name there for a second. _**_

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Chapter one hundred twentyseven: Plucked String

Hiei growled at the inanimate object. Outsmarted once again! How the hell was it possible that he, Hiei, the Forbidden One, could be outsmarted so many times by so many different stupid inanimate objects that were stupidly made by stupid people who probably had stupid hairdos and stupid smirks on their faces because they stupidly knew that he would stupidly be outsmarted by the stupid object sometime in the future course of the stupid object's life!

Of course it would be obvious that one month previous he had received a gift from someone who knew what they were doing when they sent the gift, but the person who left the gift obviously didn't care whatsoever about giving the gift to Hiei as told. The items would have halted Kagome's pregnancy safely, keeping the child alive and well inside of her until properly ready to come out.

But no, of course that _someone_ had decided it was more important to race away and just...not do as they were told! Coincidentally enough, Hiei knew exactly who that "somebody" was. He didn't even know why he was thinking of all this anymore, considering that package hadn't been the item that had outsmarted him this time.

No, this time it was a stupid instrument called a violin, which he was supposed to be able to grasp easily, but no, he had once again played the thing wrong and once more a string had snapped. So he was stuck trying to fix that snapped string, with of course no luck. He was using all his money on just funding the use of the violin which by the way he was positive he would never understand.

He would have broken it if he could have, but this was already his fourth violin. Mister Matenkashi, the band teacher-who-was-supposedly-Kagome's-brother, had said if that violin was destroyed as well, he would have to buy the next one. The school had already funded two of his, and Mister Matenkashi had funded two, so after that Hiei was on his own.

Oh, could the day get any worse? A knock at the door told him all he needed to know. Yes, his day could get worse. Was it really Tuesday? How had he so lost track of time? Damn, that wasn't good at all. What he wouldn't give for a natural remedy that would make his blood perfectly stable again.

This school thing was taking it out of him. The stress over not being able to read or write made it so that Hiei basically was failing all the so called classes he was in. He was marginally passing in band, but he supposed that was because he had managed to not break the most recent violin within three days of receiving it, which was hardly anything to be proud of.

But at least he had managed to make a little headway in learning to read and write with the help of Keiko, not that he'd ever admit to having the help, but it was true. With a long, dragging sigh he carefully replaced the odd contraption known as a violin back in its case before stretching and pulling on a pair of pants and a shirt.

He didn't really think it would be in his best interest to greet Keiko in his boxers. While he really couldn't have cared less either way if she saw him half-naked, he would not ruin his reputation if his neighbors walked by. His neighbors were already suspicious about Keiko, thinking she was some sort of whore, and while he did try to discourage these thoughts, it really would work against all his efforts if he were to be seen answering the door naked, or even partially naked.

Just because he didn't care about modesty did not by any means mean that he liked her though. No, he still hated her for being one of those annoying humans who smell like pineapples and cream shampoo. Walking over to the door he opened it and said gruffly, "Hello."

Keiko bowed slightly to him. Hiei almost smirked at the sight. Ever since that first day when he had thrown her out she had been a little skittish around him. She was polite and she never stepped out of line again. Once more he saw the scar on her face—a reminder she would see every time she looked in the mirror of what he would do to her if she tried to pull any nonsense with him.

It had healed too fast, he knew. Kurama had told him how it had happened. The strange man had healed her just with a touch of his hand. They had been in contact less than the time it would take to blink, but then just like that it had been healed.

Despite that she had been healed, it didn't make the memories of how harsh it had been to receive those hurts, and he knew she remembered them. She was meek and cooperative, only there to teach him.

And then Hiei had seen the new bruises on Keiko. They came the day after their second tutoring session. He certainly wasn't the one who put them there. He did wonder who did it, but would not get an answer any time soon because she was doing a very good job at blocking him from her mind. Since she knew he could get in, she obviously had learned some trick or another that would keep him out.

He also couldn't honestly say he had cared enough to try to break her mind just to find out who was harming her. It just wasn't in his nature to be comforting. Just because he was comfortable around one female—Kagome—didn't mean he had to be comfortable around every female who came along waving breasts and a sob story.

No, he and Kagome had kinship because she too had been tossed aside by her mother, sent to live elsewhere. Perhaps her life might not have been quite as miserable as his, he was sure. What could be lonelier than over five hundred years of misery, pain, and agony? What was worse than having everyone who actually might have cared about the Forbidden One murdered right before his very eyes?

Sad but true was the fact that it had happened to him. Hakushiimaru, the demon who had given Hiei the Evil Eye to help balance his blood, had been murdered along with his human wife. Hakushiimaru and Varis had both been the greatest people to ever come into Hiei's sad excuse for a life.

And they had both been ripped away from him, torn from his company by a band of bandits. They had lost their lives defending him, and Hiei had lost his innocence by taking his revenge out. It had been a slow thought out plan. He wouldn't have failed it. It had taken a long time to grow strong enough, but the bandits had taught him a lot that would eventually be their downfall.

The bandits soon realized they should never have taken the Forbidden One into their company. They paid for the death of Hakushiimaru and Varis with their lives. For ever blow the bandits had inflicted upon Varis while raping her, he doubled. For every stab of the sword, for every arrow they had put through Hakushiimaru, he had doubled.

Keiko entered the apartment and set her bag on the island counter. "Today I have worksheets that should improve your reading and writing skills enough so that you can start turning in your homework." Hiei closed the front door with a snap. She really didn't wait, did she? What if one of the neighbors had heard that?

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**To view the first attempt at this story, go to my profile and read "TMttF's First Attempt". It won't be continued! Keep that in mind. It is "completed" as it is. I just like to share my failure all over the place don't I? That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	128. Foster Family

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I'm kind of writing a story with Ryutsu! Yay! To see the story...excuse me must dance... song... must dance to it... okay, back! I'm just a sucker for that song. View profile for link to the profile that Ryutsu and I are sharing. I think I had more to say in this disclaimer, but it slides me right now. I don't own._**_

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Chapter one hundred twentyeight: The Forbidden One's Foster Family

Keiko was fidgeting. Boy was that really starting to bug the heck out of him. Not only that, but he had figured out something else about her. She wasn't blocking him _out_ of her mind; she was blocking him _inside_ his mind. How she had managed to accomplish that he had no idea but being unable to call upon the power granted him by Hakushiimaru's Evil Eye wasn't pleasant.

He tried to concentrate on the worksheets she had provided him for learning Japanese using the Roman letters and not on the fact that his Evil Eye was all but completely useless around her. She had him translating things to gauge how far he had progressed.

She hadn't needed to _say_ he was a slow learner when it came to reading and writing. He already realized that from the look on her face. She had given up trying to teach him English and instead was just teaching _hiragana, katakana, kanji,_ and Japanese using the English (or Roman) alphabet, called _Roomaji_, together with the Arabic numberals, which are called _arabiya suuji_ or _san'yoo suuji_.

In truth, it did make him feel bad that he wasn't catching on quickly, but not enough that he felt sorry for Keiko having to put up with him. He really wanted to learn so he seriously doubted he would relieve her of the duty. Aside from that, it wasn't like he would ever admit to feeling bad. He did at times regret beating up Keiko the first day. It also wasn't like he wished he would have waited until the second or third day either.

No, he wished he hadn't done it at all. He didn't want to see her cringe every single time he looked up at her sharply. He was tired of seeing her flinch each time he got frustrated and broke the pencil Keiko provided for him. Was it so much to ask for just to find one person who didn't fear him no matter what he did?

Why he _cared_ was beyond him, but he did. "Stop fidgeting." He demanded of the woman. He didn't understand why she was so nervous. Last week she wasn't like that! She put her hands in her lap as a docile woman would and the tapping of her fingers on the counter stopped. It gave him a few minutes peace before another interruption came upon him.

"Hello, Hiei!" The cheerful voice bounced from somewhere behind him. His eyes went wide, but he moved no other muscle. He just stared down at the papers, hoping against all hope that the voice was just imagined. But as he was staring down at the paper and books, he saw something strange.

An illusion came over the books and papers. An illusion of swirling colors, blended perfectly to make the work look like Advanced Mathematics. It was a very good illusion, and the only reason he knew it was one resided in the fact that his Evil Eye could see through any illusion no matter how powerful. It was one of the benefits of having it.

As soon as the illusion had come, he was free from his mind. His Evil Eye was free from whatever power had bound it. He didn't know what Keiko had done, but he actually felt grateful to her for it. He had been nervous that someone would find out he couldn't read. He was sure Keiko wasn't totally unredeemable. Sure she was pathetic, but if she had some power at her disposal, then perhaps... Hiei needed to stop those thoughts before he started grinning sadistically.

After all, he could have chalked off the fact that he couldn't read her mind to being overly tired. The whole "school" thing _was_ considerably stressing, especially when one cannot read. But the illusion he couldn't square away as a figment of his imagination. He had to concentrate exceptionally hard to keep his thoughts from alternating between two equally bad situations: plotting Keiko's demise for using that power on him, and plotting just how to use that power for evil.

Perhaps the first evil thing he would do would be to destroy that evil asylum called a school... No, Hiei, he reminded himself. Don't let these thoughts overcome you unless you want to end up in the Spirit World jail again.

Taking a deep breath, he prepared to confront the intruder, turning on his swivel stool to face her. "Is there a reason you are here?" he growled lowly, allowing the threat to hang in between them. With people like "Lady Death" there was only one way to handle them properly. One had to look Death in the face and show her that there would be a fight should death choose them to take.

Botan smiled mischievously at Hiei and then Keiko. "So good to find you both in the same place." She told them mysteriously.

Keiko nearly choked on her breath at that statement. "Both? What do you mean _both_?" She demanded. There had never been any instant when Keiko had been in the 'both' category, or at least when it came to Botan looking for someone at any rate. "What do you mean by both? Why would you be looking for me?"

Hiei was curious as to why as well, but wouldn't bring himself to ask. To ask meant often to get an answer one did not want, and so he rarely asked questions. He hated to find out answers so dangerous. Memories shot at him, barraging his mind as they were won't to do every single day of his life.

**-Flashback- **

_"What's wrong with her, Hakushiimaru?" _

_Hakushiimaru placed his hand on the face of his beloved. He bent down to place a last kiss on her lips to find they were still warm, but there was only death returned to him. Tears, both salty and bloodstained, fell from his single remaining eye. Blood sprayed from his own wounds, those given to him from the weapons of the bandits. "She has been murdered. Raped brutally, and then murdered." _

_The young boy with two crimson eyes and a pink eye rimmed in silver-white coloring stared down at the dead and naked body of the woman he had come to respect as a mother, or at least the closest thing he would ever get to having a mother anyway. Salty tears blurred his crimson eyes and bloody tears drained from both sides of his Evil Eye. "Why aren't your wounds healing? You told me that the Evil Eye demon can recover from wounds faster than any demon out there!" _

_Hakushiimaru pulled the young boy into an embrace and the boy found himself soon soaking in the blood of the demon he had come to know as a father. "This... this is true. Hiei, I will never recover from these wounds. I have been murdered for living a life of peace here in my father's lands. Do you remember all I taught you? Forget all that. Farming will get you nowhere. Fight. Fight for your life." _

_Hiei clutched Hakushiimaru's bloody shirt in his hands, sobbing into the dying demon's chest. He was young, about the equivalent of a five year old at the time, but he understood death and what it meant. He had seen it many times in the village. "But... you promised to help me find my sister!" he cried. _

_Hakushiimaru's grip loosened slightly as the strength was torn from him by death's gripping fingers. "I... cannot. I am sorry...to tell you this... but promises are made to be broken. If you... ever need anything... go to my father and his new mate." _

_"Father, you don't have to go!" Hiei cried. "Your brother Akio can save you! Please don't leave me!" Tears rushed down the distressed young boy's face. "Please don't leave me alone! I can't lose you and mother both!" _

_Hakushiimaru's breathing was labored, but he smiled at Hiei anyway. To have earned the respect of the Forbidden Child enough that he was trusted as a Father was indeed a great honor. "Akio cannot save me. He is too far away. I would be dead before he could get here." A harsh cough wracked Hakushiimaru's body, blood pooling in his mouth to drip over his lip. "Be careful, my boy... Don't give your trust out lightly. We will meet again someday..." _

_Hiei sobbed then as Hakushiimaru let him go completely and fell to the ground beside his lover, exhaling his last breath. He dropped to his knees and tried to wake Hakushiimaru up, hoping that it was some sort of unfunny game that the two were playing on him. But it wasn't. Neither of them ever woke up. _

_Something hardened inside of Hiei that night. He had sat next to the two bodies as they sweltered in the hot sunlight, attracting bugs and scavengers, but he had chased away all the things that wanted to tear them apart. Then when everything about the young innocent boy who had been found as a baby in the woods, discarded by his birth mother, had disappeared, he stood and began digging a hole with his hands. _

_He wouldn't be weak ever again. They had died to protect him. For the first time in their lives, Hakushiimaru and his wife had taken up arms just to protect him. This had not gone beyond his notice. He had buried the pair together that day and then, without bothering to clean himself up, he chased off to get his revenge. The bandits had taken him in, laughed and joked about their recent victims, taught him to fight. _

_But they never expected that within five years of taking the boy in, he would exceed them all in strength and wit. He had challenged them all one by one. After he had beaten the third one, they began to get scared and all of them tried to take him at once, thinking there was strength in numbers. He had seen their disorganized movements, found their weak spots, and slaughtered them. _

_But he had not come out unharmed. The young boy had been marred. Though he had managed to escape with minimal physical wounds, the mental stress of killing over fifty bandits had been great. He had raced to find Hakushiimaru's father—he needed someone to talk about it with—and instead had found his mate. _

_She had taken him in, despite what she was and what he was. She should have killed him, but she didn't. She had shown him quite a few things, including correcting him in the use of a sword, and taught him how to use an array of other weapons like she would. But he had never given her his trust. _

_It was like Hakushiimaru had said. He didn't give his trust out lightly. _

**-End Flashback- **

"Of course what I mean by both," Botan started as Hiei shook his head to clear away the memory, "is exactly that! Hiei, Koenma wishes to see you. Keiko, Koenma wishes to speak with you as well. So hop to it! The portal is waiting!" The Lady of Death giggled and Hiei quirked an eye at her, wondering what she had smoked that morning. She was exceptionally happy lately, and he couldn't help but wonder why.

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**My computer is down and out this round. A bolt of lightning that literally struck right next to our house (there's the char mark!) wrecked our surge protectors so our computers are unable to connect to the internet until we get new surge protectors. Sorry! It's not even crazy!**


	129. Meet Koenma

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: This chapter was rewritten to suit certain parts better. I didn't care if it was Keiko or not, I just had to torture someone. Hehe, no kidding, that wasn't rewritten. The parts with Kagome were rewritten. I own the humming bird. Okay, no I really don't._**_

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Chapter one hundred twentynine: Meet Koenma

**-Spirit World- **

It was as if she were in a daze as she entered that portal to go to the world that Yusuke had been to so many times. She had longed to come here so long that now she was here it didn't feel quite real. It was strange to her why that would be. "Why would Yusuke's boss want to see me?" Keiko asked Botan in hopes that the woman would know.

"You'll have to ask him that!" Botan chirped before turning down another hall.

Keiko was going to follow her, but Hiei stopped her from following. "It's this way." He stated calmly, leading the way through hall after hall of the Spirit World castle. She stuck close to him, kind of unnerved by all the demons walking around freely. Weren't they supposed to be in the Demon World or whatever it was that Yusuke had called it?

When they had arrived at the room, Hiei walked right through the door that seemed to be there, so she thought she could too. Instead, it appeared she couldn't because she just walked into solid wood. With a small moan at her own idiocy—walking into a door! Who does that?—she instead turned the knob and walked in to find a smirking Hiei.

He hadn't really walked right through the door, he had just moved so fast that opening and closing the door wasn't seen, but what was seen was him walking 'through' a door. It was hilarious to him that Keiko would believe anything was as it seemed. He couldn't believe she had actually walked into the door. He wanted to laugh but held it in.

She sent a glare at him before looking around the room. The room was near spotless, not a pile of paper to be seen except the small one on the large desk. Behind the desk was a chair that was turned around, facing a window behind the desk. Outside the window was a strangely glowing bird that looked like a humming bird.

The bird flew in through the window and landed on a long adult finger. Keiko wondered who was sitting in the prince's chair that shouldn't be. Yusuke had said often that a toddler was his boss. There had been many jokes about it too between Yusuke and his friend Kuwabara.

"Hiei, what progress have you made?" The male voice was strange and sensuous, yet imperial to a fault. Keiko watched another hand come up and gently stroke the glowing humming bird with a single finger. The bird seemed to enjoy the attention. She looked at Hiei and saw that the demon was strangely looking uncomfortable.

"No progress." He stated calmly, despite his obvious discomfort. She wondered about the reason why Hiei would be uncomfortable and wondered what the 'mission' was that Hiei was on.

"One would begin to think you're not going to do it, Hiei." The voice was cold now, and Keiko was sure the temperature in the room actually dropped ten degrees. "It has been a month. That should have been sufficient time to find, and then retrieve the amulet." Keiko watched the bird for a moment before it shrieked and then tried to fly away, but the long fingers had grasped one of the wings.

"I have not had a chance." Hiei told him.

The chair turned around and Keiko found herself gazing into brown eyes rimmed in gold. The prince was very handsome indeed, but as Keiko soon saw, he was cruel. His eyes stared at Hiei before he broke the little bird's right wing. Hiei suddenly clutched his right arm as the bird shrieked and tried to get away. "I will not tolerate insolence, Hiei. You will have the amulet by the end of the week."

"The damn teacher is not at that school. How the fuck am I supposed to get it? No one has seen him in months." Keiko by this time had backed herself into a corner of the room. She was shaking and she knew it, but she could see the bone sticking out of Hiei's arm. Somehow the prince had managed to use the bird like a voodoo doll or something, and Hiei was the subject.

"You're smart; you figure it out." Keiko's eyes were stuck fast to the broken arm of Hiei's, but she knew that the prince's cold orbs had turned upon her. "Hiei, wait outside." Hiei did not object. He went outside the room and leaned against the wall, grimacing at the feel of his bone sticking out. This had happened many times before, but not from Koenma.

What had happened to make the prince so cruel? This sort of thing was expected from someone like the Queen of the Spirit world, not Koenma. How many times had the young prince told his spirit detectives that he would kill himself before he became like his mother?

He heard a scream come through the closed door which was quite surprising since the door was supposed to be sound proof. He couldn't tell if it was feminine or male, but he guessed it was Keiko screaming since he doubted that Keiko could make Koenma scream. His answer came a few moments later when a rather shaken looking Keiko opened the door and closed it behind her with shaking hands.

He actually felt bad for her and wondered just what Koenma had wanted. She gulped and looked at him with haunted eyes before saying in a surprisingly calm voice, "Please lead the way out..."

Hiei carefully held his broken arm as he led the way back to the portal that would return them to Hiei's apartment. He let her go through first before following. Once on the other side, she turned to him and grabbed his arm—his broken one—and pushed the bone abruptly back into the skin and into place.

She didn't give him time to stop her before leading him to the bathroom and making him sit on the toilet while she dug through his medicine cabinet for what she needed. His mind was foggy with pain and even while he tried to keep a handle on his surroundings, he couldn't. It was more than just a broken bone. It was the knowledge that Koenma had done that to him that made him ill.

Koenma knew that Hiei had placed a sufficient amount of trust in him. He was one of the very few. Now, Koenma had destroyed that trust and the Forbidden One honestly did not like that one bit. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Moments later the pain in his arm began to ease up as an odd cool washed through his arm. He looked to Keiko's hands, holding him where the break had happened. Power rushed through, mending the torn flesh and healing the broken bone. He supposed he should have been surprised, but he really wasn't.

Left behind was a bruise that trailed his arm, but in a few days that would clear up he supposed. He wouldn't admit it but he was grateful to her for what she had done. He knew what power she had now, and it was quite a relief that she appeared to know what she was doing. He didn't need another crazy-toilet-blowing-up witch around him.

"Let's continue on... reading and... writing." Keiko stammered, seeming to have a little trouble speaking properly. Hiei actually felt like he should help Keiko come to terms with whatever it was that had happened in the room, but stopped himself short. Stupid conscience was getting in the way of reveling in the fact that Keiko was totally freaked.

But she did heal his arm...

**-Elsewhere- **

Kagome was so excited, but she tamped it down as she held her baby in her arms for the very first time. The little girl snaked her fingers into Kagome's long raven hair and tugged on it before trying to eat it. Kagome laughed at the sight that was her baby. Looking at her baby helped her come to a decision.

But not just looking at her. It was so much more than that. _Holding_ her baby helped her decide on a name that her baby would forever be called—unless of course there came a day when her child decided to legally change her name, in that case then things would change. But Kagome watched those curious brown orbs dazzle and whispered, "Akari Dekage Nishi Higurashi."

'Akari' for her first name combined with 'Dekage' for her first middle name meant "A Light in Shadow" and it perfectly matched her in Kagome's opinion. She had named her second middle name 'Nishi' after Sesshoumaru and his ruling the Western Lands, since it meant "West". She felt she should honor the tradition in her family and give her baby two middle names, even if her mother was tainted.

She had never thought of herself having kids. She had never realized the beautiful creature that was giggling at her, holding her hair in tiny little fingers, could possibly have existed but then there she was, and she was the most beautiful universe that Kagome had ever seen. It brought tears to Kagome's eyes and not once did she question why she was being allowed to take her baby home.

She was happy to be able to go home. She was happy to be able to love the beautiful creature she had jus named. She carefully raised Akari Dekage up and planted a kiss on her baby's little cheek. She was awarded with a little giggle from the daughter that she had never expected to have. She laughed softly and did it again to receive another giggle from the child.

Oh what a miracle that her baby was, quite literally. As she waited for Sesshoumaru to come get her, she said to her child, "I'm not sure how to be a mom, but I'll try my best, okay?" Akari looked at her mother with intelligent brown eyes as though she understood and it made Kagome's heart swell with love.

In the midst of a life of hell, a spark of good had come from everything. Kagome could no longer imagine her life before Akari, which was why Akari Dekage was the perfect name. In a world of 'kage', there was 'akari'. Akari became the light in Kagome's universe. She was the beacon home safely.

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**Crazy shoutout! Everyone should thank Ryutsu for her awesomeness help because she so totally helped me decide on what to name Akari. Reason why I needed help: Her name in the notebook consisted of "-----" because I couldn't decide what to name her. If it weren't for Ryutsu, she would have probably been called something like Squiggly Muppet Tuppet Higurashi. Or something similar. So thanks Ryutsu! You're awesome crazy! I won't say sexy crazy cause... that'd just be beyond weird. **


	130. Hakushiimaru

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Here begins Part Two of this here story. So it's kind of like another book in some sort of giant series of sorts. I just am lazy and don't feel like creating a new "story" for this, so will continue to post in this one! And it will get bigger and bigger and... you get the idea. I own the ideas-in-context contained in this story.If I see this story continuing to be plagiarized, I will remove it from the web. You know who you are! That just pisses me off._**_

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Chapter one hundred thirty: Hakushiimaru

**-Part Two- **

"You're sure you don't need help?" Sesshoumaru asked her as she laid the sleeping child in the crib.

Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru with a grin. "I'll be fine! Don't you have to be somewhere?" she scolded him lightly.

Yusuke had provided her with everything she could have ever desired for the baby. Atsuko's room was transformed into a room for Akari with a crib that would eventually be replaced with a toddler bed, a dresser, a diaper changing station, a toy bin filled with child-safe toys, and an assortment of other needed things. Kagome did wonder where he got all that money, but didn't ask.

All of Atsuko's things were either sold or else stuffed into the closet since she had taken all that was important to her when she moved in with her new boyfriend. This was what had become of the room in the past month while Kagome stayed at the hospital every afternoon to watch over her baby through the glass wall.

Kagome didn't know where Yusuke was at the moment, but she was positive she could handle Akari on her own at least for a while. After all, there were other mothers out there that had no help at all, ever. Kagome wouldn't be one of those mothers, but she also wouldn't be a mother that depended on everyone else either.

She tried not to think about what would happen when she finally managed to get back down the well, but ignored those nagging thoughts. Perhaps the well could wait for eighteen years? She was sure that nothing significant would happen between then and the time that she went back, unless of course everyone assumed her to be dead...

Oh, hell, what would happen then? Maybe she should just tamp down her pride and ask Sesshoumaru what happened? She looked at her baby and shook her head at her own silly thoughts. "What will happen, will happen..." she whispered, to be rewarded with an odd look from Sesshoumaru. She didn't mind though, even though she felt his eyes boring into her. "I will be back at school tomorrow." She promised him. "And Akari can come with me."

Sesshoumaru sighed but knew there would be no changing her mind. He nodded and teased her, "Don't worry about practicing your violin tonight. You might give Akari Dekage a heart attack."

Kagome pulled the rail on the crib up and then hugged Sesshoumaru tight. It was a moment before he returned the hug but he did and it made her feel even better than she already felt, which was surprisingly good to begin with. "Thank you for everything." She whispered, knowing he could hear it.

Then, to shock them both, she lifted herself up on her tip-toes and kissed him. No, not just a peck on the cheek; had it been a peck on the cheek, it might not have been very noteworthy, but she had thrown caution into the wind and just kissed him. There was nothing she could do to stop herself and nothing she could do to keep from noticing that _he kissed her back_.

His arms got tighter around her and a tear slipped through the barrier that was his eyelids. They didn't start griping at each other's clothes or other such nonsense, but both felt the warmth that the other provided in that few seconds. Both felt the raw emotions that warmed their souls. Both wondered _why_.

And it was then that Kagome realized a secret that had been kept from her. As they parted, her eyes stopped swirling to favor resting on a gloomy gray. She looked deep into his golden orbs and said nothing of what she had just learned, preferring not to bring old wounds upon him when she wasn't sure he wanted to talk about it, but he pulled her into a tight embrace before bringing them both to their knees.

He held her close and told her, "Seirra... I loved her so much... But that damn _whore_ took her away." He was hurting her; he didn't know his own strength. But she bore it and rested her head on his shoulder, keeping one ear on Akari and the other on Sesshoumaru.

"It's okay." She promised him, running one hand through his hair, smoothing it out. That was definitely one thing she had forgotten: his hair was so silky. "Everyone loses someone, but in the end it is how we remember them that they will forever remain with us." She could hardly forget that Sesshoumaru had lost more than his fair share of people in his life.

"But... it's not that. She..." A broken sob tore through him and it wrenched at Kagome's heart. Why was life so cruel to Sesshoumaru? Why couldn't all the bad things that happened to Sesshoumaru instead happen to Kagome? At least then Sesshoumaru would not know such grief. He could be happy, even if it was at her expense. "She's not dead, she's trapped."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked him, confused. How could she be trapped? Where was she trapped? What did Sesshoumaru mean?

**-Feudal Era- **

'Pissed' had been an understatement. The only reason he was still alive was because he had hidden himself from her. Yeah, it was a setback to completing the spell, but he couldn't exactly protect Kagome if he was dead, could he? And what was worse was he would be dead by the hands of the woman he had just made his mate only a month before in order to save her life.

She would die when he died. Well, that was plenty of reason for her to kill him. It had taken a while to convince her that if she did manage to get herself killed or killed herself, he wouldn't die. He didn't know why that was so hard to comprehend! He was a demon. He enjoyed more benefits from the spell than she did. That was how demon magic worked.

But now, hiding as he was, he looked at his son who was grinning at him like a madman. "I should tell her." Hakushiimaru told him with a wide and ever-so-innocent smirk on his face. Hakushiimaru had been one for honest business through his whole life growing up and the only one of Ryuichi's children that hadn't picked up on the pink haired demon's perverted habits.

Hakushiimaru was also the only one that believed that talking and kindness could solve every problem and had never so much as looked at a sword; picking one up was definitely out of the question. It was the reason that Hakushiimaru, second eldest son to Ryuichi and the phantom demon—Ryuichi's first wife—Socorro, had not been chosen to be village head for one of Ryuichi's villages.

Instead, Akio—eldest son to Ryuichi and Socorro—and Eijiroo—only child to Ryuichi and his second wife Cheiko the Blood Crest demon—had been chosen to be head of village. Ryuichi was glad that Eijiroo had not taken after his mother. The woman was very annoying.

Sango was the first of his wives that he had actually marked as his. Socorro had always been too dishonest for Ryuichi to want to bind his life to her permanently. She had four other children by someone else and had chucked them as soon as they were born. But Ryuichi had gotten Akio and Hakushiimaru from her before she could run off.

Cheiko had been just as dishonest but Eijiroo took more after his father than anyone which pleased Ryuichi. Then, somewhere close to fifteen years before, Cheiko had left him and he had gone after her. He had found her married to a fox demon, but not just any fox demon. It appeared that Ryuichi couldn't provide enough power for the greedy woman, so she had gone and seduced the King of the East.

But he had just shrugged it off. It wasn't his problem anymore. He had returned to his small bit of lands and happily helped his people cultivate the ground. It wasn't long before Cheiko and the army came. Ryuichi, Akio, and Eijiroo had all but demolished the army and since then his lands had not been bothered.

Hakushiimaru did disappoint Ryuichi when he stated he wouldn't take up arms, but Ryuichi knew there was one in every batch that would be amiable. Hakushiimaru did live in Ryuichi's lands. He chose to live a life of solitude in the wilderness with his wife and the Forbidden Child who his wife had saved from a harsh death in the cold forest.

Ryuichi glared at his son. "Don't even think about it, boy. I'll kick your ass."

Hakushiimaru laughed joyfully, the eye patch slipping slightly, but he just fixed it. "Peace, my friend, is the joy of life."

Ryuichi gave his son a dry look and muttered, "I sometimes wonder if you're really a woman."

Ryuichi watched a young boy run in through the door to the hut, tracking mud everywhere. Ryuichi wondered if he had just rolled in it or something because he was covered in it. He was carrying a dirty yet still alive rabbit in his hands and looked proud as he showed it to Hakushiimaru. "Look what I got! It tried to eat the vegetables we planted, so I caught it!"

Ryuichi quirked an eyebrow at the boy, then looked at his son. What nonsense was he teaching this boy? Probably something stupid such as "We are one with nature, and we must not hurt animals". Did Hakushiimaru mourn the passing of every deer he ate? Oh, yes that's right, he didn't eat deer. He ate vegetables and hoped it would be enough.

Idiot. Ryuichi just couldn't understand Hakushiimaru sometimes. He loved peace so much that he had given up his eye to help bring peace to the warring elements inside the boy who held the rabbit so carefully.

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**Ryutsu, I told you we'd make it to 130! That's just crazy. But sexy crazy! Haha! **


	131. Miroku Betrayed

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: It is decided. I just like to torture people. A lot. Thankfully I don't own them. Maybe I really am Naraku? Does that mean I'm in love with myself?Crazy!_**_

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Chapter one hundred thirtyone: Miroku Betrayed

**-Elsewhere- **

"WHERE ARE YOU NARAKU?" Miroku shouted out, hearing his voice echoing back to him in the dangerously echoing old abandoned castle. He had come just as asked, but he had lost his patience when Naraku had not shown up so long ago. It was difficult running on very little sleep for a month, afraid that his enemy might pop up at any second.

He finally was rewarded with the presence of the very unholy demon and his detachment named Kanna. Kanna held her mirror in her hands, her blank eyes dead to the world. Miroku shuddered and stepped back, unnerved at the site of both Kanna and Naraku. Naraku had taken the form of Miroku so well that Miroku actually was questioning whether or not he was the real one.

Naraku chuckled, clutching a staff much like Miroku's in his hand. Miroku didn't like to see himself so accurately portrayed by the demon Naraku. It wasn't right. "Where is Sango?" Miroku demanded, clutching the jar tighter in his grip.

"Show him, Kanna." Naraku demanded of the young girl. In the milky depths of the mirror, Miroku saw a swirl of black forming before it became mixed with the entire mirror and the view changed to show Sango and Ryuichi. Ryuichi was carving his mark on Sango's forehead, making her his mate and wife; binding her to him.

Miroku looked away from the mirror, unable to look at it any longer, but Naraku started talking. "My original plan was to kill them, but I received rumors that they were yet alive. It is why I am late to arrive. What will you do with this information, Monk?" Naraku questioned. After all, his plan wouldn't have worked if the woman was still alive, but to know that he could inflict torture on Miroku anyway was still good enough for now.

Miroku's mind was buzzing with what he had seen and the knowledge of what he knew of Naraku. Naraku had shown him because he probably wanted him to betray Sango in return. A favor for a favor, in other words. So he decided on what he would do, though he knew he would have to be careful when he did it.

He clenched his staff in his fist so tight his knuckles turned white and allowed the injustice settle in. Miroku had loved Sango! Miroku had been there first! But no, there was always someone better than Miroku, just a poor monk who was filled with the desire to avenge his family. What could Miroku possibly offer a demon slayer?

But the worst thing about it all was that she had betrayed him with a demon. A _demon_! She had chosen a demon over him! That was a disgrace! Their children would be born to kill themselves! It would be the profession they were born into! There really would be no escape! And Sango had chosen Ryuichi, the demon who she had tried to kill the instant she met him!

He let his face twist into the scowl he wanted it to. He let his face show his hurt and his pain to Naraku. It really wasn't the just reward he wanted. There was no justice in the world if everyone would be able to have happiness except for him—doomed to die by Naraku's curse. Just as he thought would happen, Naraku offered to let Miroku join him.

Miroku allowed a sadistic grin form on his face. It wasn't terribly hard to do with how betrayed he felt and how much he wanted to hurt Ryuichi. And to think he had stopped Sango from killing that demon. He tossed the Jewel shards he had stolen from Inuyasha over to Naraku and said, "I get to kill the pink haired demon."

Naraku chuckled again and said, "Of course. Whatever you wish." He put the shards in the folds of his kimono.

But what he didn't know was that he was being fooled, not doing the fooling. Miroku would never let anything anyone did cloud his vision of what he really wanted: freedom from a haunting curse. He knew he had the option to try to get Naraku just then, but he also knew if he wanted to be successful, he needed to wait it out until he had arrived at the perfect moment.

**-Human World- **

"Where is she trapped?" Kagome asked him, to be rewarded with his shifting so he could pull her into his lap. For a while they sat there with her cradled to his chest and him burying his face in her hair. She was more than surprised. She thought that after a long day like hers he would be disgusted and not want to be within smelling distance of her.

But that was not the case. He was happy just to hold her and try to forget all the things that just her presence brought back. He had surprised himself when he had returned her kiss. He shouldn't have. He considered her his sister, but he kissed her? That didn't make sense at all. He was sure there was nothing more between them.

And then again, why did she kiss him in the first place? Didn't she love that other guy—oh what was his name, he couldn't even remember. It had been over five hundred years since then and he couldn't remember what the guy looked like. If he was slapped in the face by the guy he doubted he would remember them.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "My supposed wife Cheiko trapped her in the body of a woman named Yolana five hundred years ago, but the woman was a human and the spell went askew. Seirra's spirit continues to pass through generation after generation into the first child born. She is now trapped in a woman named Rei's body—the very woman I work with daily."

Kagome turned so she could see him and prepared to make a promise she wasn't sure she could keep. Usually she only made promises she could keep. She was careful to make ones that she thought she could keep and very rarely was led wrong. Only someone _else_ getting in the way had made her break a promise.

She smiled at him and said, "Well, we'll have to fix that won't we? I made Akari using just a spirit and an egg, so in no time at all, we'll have fixed Seirra. You will have her back."

Her eyes went wide and she shuddered slightly at the sudden kiss he gave her. It wasn't sweet like the other and it wasn't her who had started it. It was he who had started it. Yet it was still different than the one that Kurama had given her. She was still breathless when he pulled away from her, but his eyes sparkled with wonder. "You are a true angel." He told her.

She couldn't stop the giggle that wanted to bubble up and so didn't. "I'm no angel." She told him but he just shook his head to disagree. "But I believe you have somewhere to be?"

His eyes went wide as he remembered the things he was supposed to get done. "Sh—" Kagome covered his mouth to keep the cuss from escaping. She smiled and squirmed out of his grasp. "No swearing." She told him. "My Akari Dekage is at a very impressionable part in her life... or at least I think she is anyway." She stretched a hand down to help him up, even if she wouldn't really be able to lift him.

He grinned at her and took the offered hand, but instead of letting her pull him up, he pulled her down into his lap again. She tried to keep herself from making too much noise so they wouldn't wake Akari from her sleep. "Sesshoumaru, what's with you today?" she demanded of him.

"You use strawberry and cream shampoo, don't you?" he asked, inhaling deeply with a mad grin on his face.

She tried to keep from growling, but failed. "I've always used it." Well, if he wasn't acting weird, then she was Arnold Schwarzenegger. She nearly had a heart attack out of shock when she felt a tongue licking her earlobe. It appeared she had done something to him when she kissed him. She had crossed an invisible barrier. She had deepened his familial feelings for her.

Demons were different with their siblings. Kisses were inconsequential, it appeared, even one as deep as they had shared. But on the other hand, inconsequential as it was, it did matter to her. She once more had done something without thinking. She wondered what he thought about her just randomly kissing him, but again, he didn't seem to care.

And he was still licking her earlobe... But it felt so nice. His hand came up to trace the crescent markings that hung from each eye and she was putty in his experienced hands. She wondered where he had to be but dismissed that rather quickly and just relaxed there in his arms, completely and utterly prepared for absolutely... nothing.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy! Haha! **


	132. Keiko's Nightmare

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I love opening my inbox and seeing "63 friggen new messages dude!" popping up on the screen. You know, no one ever calls me. I suppose it doesn't help that I haven't give out my phone number... I own a phone._**_

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Chapter one hundred thirtytwo: Keiko's Nightmare

**-Elsewhere- **

Keiko yawned and placed her head on Hiei's counter. He had left to go ask his neighbors to turn down their music—she did wonder how exactly he would handle them (chop of their heads? She hoped not!) because he didn't seem to be one who would just ask nicely—because Hiei had a few things tacked on the wall and they kept falling down.

She closed her eyes, figuring to just open them when he came back in, but she fell asleep instead and haunting memories of Koenma, Yusuke's boss, came to mind, trapping her in a nightmare. What he really did to her got mixed in with all the things her mind conjured up that he _could have done_ to her and she felt ready to freak out. She couldn't get out of this nightmare.

**-Elsewhere- **

Yusuke entered the apartment with a heavy sigh before throwing his shoes by the door, completely oblivious to the two pairs of shoes there that probably shouldn't have been at that time of day. He carried the bag of what he called 'kid utensils' towards the new baby room, sliding the door open.

He nearly had a heart attack when he saw the... uh... _position_... that his cousin and _some-young-guy-who-was-older-than-Yusuke_ were in. The bag of kid utensils fell to the floor and Yusuke covered his eyes. He didn't want to see that. No. No. No. What I can't see isn't there, he promised himself.

But the truth was Kagome and Sesshoumaru _were_ there. He was lying on the floor of the room on his back and she was lying on top of him, pretty content to be where she was. He peeked through his fingers to see that Sesshoumaru had turned his head to look at him and grinned. But then, oh dear god someone save my cousin, he cried to himself. That's the band teacher!

"Hey Yusuke." Kagome said drowsily. "Yusuke, Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru, Yusuke. I told you about him, Yusuke. No need to get all tense."

"You said he was like a _brother_ not like a... a... a... _that_." Yusuke stammered, not really able to find the right words for what he wanted. He didn't take into consideration that he himself had lay like that on Kagome, using her bosom for a pillow often, but then again, it wasn't the same thing! Was it? Oh dear he was so confused it wasn't even funny.

Kagome laughed and got up off of Sesshoumaru. She figured she better do so before Yusuke managed to find the words he needed to raise his voice and consequentially ended up waking Akari Dekage. Sesshoumaru sat up and looked at Yusuke, noticing how tense the young boy seemed to be. He hated to think that a fight broke out just then, especially with his niece in the room!

"Relax, Yusuke. Come meet Akari." She moved to the crib and waited for Yusuke to come over. He did so, but not before glaring at Sesshoumaru and bending down to pick up the bag of kid utensils. He set the bag on the diaper changing station before walking over to peer at the tiny baby in the crib.

"She smells funny." Yusuke muttered, making a face. For Yusuke, it was still strange to imagine that the little girl in the crib was Kagome's child. He knew about how she had become pregnant, yet it was still odd to imagine.

Kagome laughed. "She probably needs her diaper changed." She turned to Sesshoumaru and smiled at him. "I will see you tomorrow." She told him and he nodded.

"Take care of her. She's clumsy." Sesshoumaru told Yusuke, earning a miffed expression from Kagome and a grin from Yusuke. The tense atmosphere between Sesshoumaru and Yusuke seemed to fade into the background, much to Sesshoumaru's benefit. He would hate to have to beat Kagome's cousin up in front of her—not that he wouldn't thoroughly enjoy himself, but he guessed that would probably upset her.

Kagome stuck her tongue out at both of them before pulling down the rail and scooping up her sleeping child, going over to the diaper station, removing the bag from the end of the table to drop it gently on the floor and then set Akari on the changing station. Before leaving the hospital, the nurse Mitsuko had shown her how to change Akari's diaper successfully.

_"Would you like to know how to take good care of your baby?"_

Of course she did want to know.

By the time she had finished changing Akari's diaper, she had woken up and Sesshoumaru had left. Yusuke was over by the dresser with the bag of kid utensils, folding the new outfits he had bought for Akari and replacing them nicely in the drawer. Kagome picked up Akari with small smile on her face and received a giggle from the child.

Again Akari found her hair fascinating and tried to eat it. Kagome walked over to Yusuke and rested her head on his shoulder. "Are you upset?" she asked him. It had not gone by her attention that he was more silent than usual, harboring a strangely cold exterior.

"Nope. I'm cool." Yusuke said carelessly, folding an outfit that wouldn't fit Akari for two or three years yet and putting it in the drawer. Kagome wasn't fooled but she sighed and left it alone anyway. Something was bothering him, and she wanted to know what it was but knew she wouldn't be able to pry it out of him because while she could get him to talk, her conscience wouldn't let her trick him that way.

"Okay, well, I'm going to go feed Akari." She headed for the door. She wanted to go to her room to do it because she felt it wouldn't be proper to just lift her shirt in front of Yusuke even if he had gotten her a rocking chair to sit in the baby's room to feed Akari. Yusuke nodded his understanding and she went into her room, shutting the door behind her.

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**Okay, everyone's confused about the whole Sess/Kag thing right now, right? Well, I suppose I best answer that. **

**In my little fun-fun-agonizingly-long story, there are differences in the way demons live and the way humans live. All the other writers make it so that sex and biting of the neck marks 'mate'. Incase you haven't noticed, I didn't do that. **

**So more fun comes when we fun fun out the fun, and fun is my word today. Crazy. Anyway, I hope you can decipher this: Fun is when you take your characters who are 'siblings' and give them a deeper bond that exceeds the unnerving issue of any romantic notions at all. So basically I can make them kiss and neither feels romantically inclined toward the other, because it's just a symbol of how close they are to one another. **

**Crazy. I hope that cleared that up.**


	133. Equation Two

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Lotsa Reviews, Lotsa Reviews, I don't think I'll ever get caught up. I own so many reviews! Yay!_**_

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Chapter one hundred thirtythree: Sesshoumaru (•plus•) Music Teacher (•equals•) King Enma?

It was weird feeding Akari for the first time. Akari Dekage had no teeth but her gums constantly rubbed against Kagome's nipple and her tiny tongue brushed against it as well. The sucking feeling was the strangest thing ever but even though she felt uncomfortable, she was grateful for the knowledge that she wasn't the only mother out there that would breastfeed.

To take her mind off of these strange new experiences, she grabbed the Shrine-Girl book from her bed stand and leaned up against the headrest of the bed, opening the book to page thirteen where her bookmarker was to start reading. She found it rather sad that in six months she had only gotten thirteen pages into the book, but resigned herself to working hard to make up that distracted time.

Soon she had lost herself in the book as it got more and more interesting. The first chapter had been boring and talked mostly about the etiquette and protocol followed by a priestess in the warring era, but then she found a story that told the tale of Princess Hideko who had been born with the power of the priestess and instead of marrying who her father had chosen for her, she had run away to become a priestess.

She got as far into the tale as reading about how Princess Hideko managed to escape from bandits before she had to put the book down and burp Akari. She pulled her bra and shirt back into place, putting the spit-up towel over her shoulder before propping Akari on her shoulder and gently alternating between patting the child's bottom and rubbing her spine just as the nurse Mitsuko had told her to do.

When she heard an 'urp' sound, she knew Akari had burped.

The next day was strange for Kagome. She had been sure Sesshoumaru had money, but that hadn't really been confirmed until she woke to a knocking sound on the front door. She had left her and Akari's bedroom doors open so she could hear if Akari woke up in the night or she guessed she might not have heard the soft tapping sound.

Groggily she pulled on her bathrobe over her night shirt and walked to the front door, opening it to see that a tall man in a black pinstripe suit and candy cap stood there with his hand poised to knock again. When he saw her he put his hand down and smoothed his jacket before saying, "Is Mrs. Higurashi home?"

"It's 'Miss' and yes I'm here." Kagome said with a yawn. She tried to cover it, but she was so tired from her first night as a mommy that even her long fingers didn't cover the entire thing. Akari had been rather demanding, wanting to be fed and have her diaper changed every hour. That didn't leave her much time for sleep.

The man in front of the door could hardly contain his shock. "King Enma sent me to serve a little girl?" It was incredulous that this slip of a girl could have attached the ruler of the Spirit World. She wasn't even a looker which made it harder to believe.

She had rims under her eyes to depict lack of sleep, her hair was askew which he guessed meant she hadn't been awake for very long, and she kept yawning like it was her business. Which was just plain weird. But he took note of the markings on her face with a frown. There was only one other who wore those markings and he clearly was not this girl. She was who-knew how many feet shorter than that guy!

"You mean King Enma, Kurama's boss's dad?" Kagome inquired, wondering what Kurama's boss's dad wanted from her. And who the heck would name their kid "King" anyway? Enma might pass as a last name, but the guy's parents really must have been arrogant to name their kid "King". She reminded herself again to ask Kurama what he did for a living.

Speaking of what people did for a living... she had to ask Yusuke that question too. That would be nice to know, considering that Yusuke seemed to have all this money from his job but he never told Kagome what he did to earn that money. She hoped he wasn't some sort of bank robber or something. Boy wouldn't that be awkward?

"Good gracious, you don't even know King Enma? You must really be dumb."

Kagome frowned. "Have you come here to insult me, or is there a purpose to this madness?" she bit out, knowing it was rude, but unable to stop herself as agitation set in and lack of sleep clouded her judgment.

The man bowed his head slightly in apology before saying, "Excuse me, Mrs. Higurashi, I must confirm something." For a moment she thought he would attack her or something but then he just whipped out a cell phone and dialed a number, speaking hastily into the phone. She was about to close the door on the guy, but he suddenly held the phone out to her. "He wishes to speak with you."

"Who?" Kagome asked, hesitantly reaching out to the phone. She received no answer so placed the phone to her ear. "Hello?" she bit back another yawn. Oh how exhausting the night had been.

_"Kagome,"_ had she been expecting to hear Sesshoumaru's voice on the other end, she might not have yelped out of surprise and nearly dropped the phone. She heard laughter as she replaced the phone at her ear to hear the rest of what he was saying. The guy in front of the door was snickering at her so she slammed the door shut on him out of spite. _"—going to drive you to school with Akari Dekage every day and cater to your every whim." _

"Why? I told you I'll be fine." Kagome insisted, only to earn a snort of disbelief from the other end of the line. "Really, Sesshoumaru, I don't need help. I've got all I could ever ask for already with Yusuke around. You don't have to spend your money on me."

_"Good, because I'm not. I'm spending your money on you."_ Sesshoumaru told her. She should have known that 'King Enma' wasn't a real name. How stupid could she get? Sesshoumaru was probably just doing his whole 'Kingy thing' with the Western Lands and all that good stuff. She didn't know why she had idiotically thought he had given up his King status just to be some sort of low-in-power music teacher.

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**Craziness equals: I have no clue what I'm doing today. That's just crazy. But sexy crazy! Haha!**


	134. Sit Down

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I was half of a mind to change the chapter so that Kagome didn't sit down and she ended up falling on her rump but decided to keep it as it was. I do not own Chu; he is the guy from the Dark Tournament who Yusuke woke up to fight and was all like "Someone's been boozin'. Dang that smell could wake the dead!"_**_

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Chapter one hundred thirtyfour: Sit Down

That confused her. _Her_ money? What money? She didn't have any! She was lucky if she had twenty dollars to her name. "What do you mean my money? I have no money."

_"Correction, you have quite a bit. You became my second chief advisor somewhere around five hundred years ago, give or take a few. Eighteen years ago I decided to open up a bank account for you and had to decide on an amount that you would have been paid yearly. I chose seventy-five thousand a year, times five hundred years comes to thirty-seven million five hundred thousand."_ Sesshoumaru paused for a moment at Kagome's silence.

Then, Kagome blurted, "Wait a minute, so you're saying there's a bank somewhere with an account under _my_ name that has thirty-seven and a half million dollars in it?" Kagome's voice was squeaky, but there was nothing she could do about it. That certainly wasn't something she had been expecting. After all, it really wasn't every day that someone was told they had thirty-seven and a half million dollars somewhere.

_"No. Just listen to me now. Are you sitting?" _

"Sure." Kagome stammered, not really realizing what she was answering. That was a lot of money! What the heck was she going to do with all of it? Why did Sesshoumaru think he had to pay her for five hundred years even if she wasn't there? That was more than awkward.

_"No you're not. Sit down."_ She sat. How did he know she wasn't sitting? Was he psychic or something? Or did he just know her too well? _"This was eighteen years ago when I started the account. Keep in mind this isn't any ordinary bank. It's exclusive to me and my family, so things are different than other banks. _

_"There's a ten percent increase on your money every year, so within one year—without the next seventy-five thousand dollars I put in—you then had forty-one million two hundred fifty thousand dollars. Plus seventy-five thousand dollars of that year would be forty-one million three hundred twenty five thousand dollars."_ She heard him take another breath, but she herself felt faint. _"So by the time you were one year old, you had about that much money in the account, give or take a few million." _

"Sesshoumaru..." she squeaked, but he ignored her.

_"So if you multiply that all out seventeen times more including all that interest you earned while it's in the bank and the seventy-five thousand dollars every year, you have two hundred eleven million, nine hundred sixteen thousand, eight hundred thirty-seven dollars. Give or take a few million dollars for error." _

"Sesshoumaru that's too much." She tried to object.

_"Hm... You think so? I had thought I went cheap on you. Oh well. Since I'm always right and you're always wrong, I think I'll add another fifty million in there just to be on the safe side. Oh, and I bought you a house." _

"You're very arrogant." Kagome pointed out to him, lacking anything better to say. What could she say? Should she say 'Oh em gee, Sesshoumaru, I'm so glad to have millions of dollars to blow on probably nothing!' And then what he said sunk in. A house? There was only one 'rich neighborhood' in the area that was still within a reasonable distance to the school she was going to and that was where Keiko lived.

If what Keiko had told Kagome was true, then those houses weren't at all cheap. She gulped. All this money... All this responsibility... Couldn't she just live a normal life? Did Sesshoumaru realize that Akari was enough responsibility at the moment? She heaved a heavy sigh before licking her lips and saying, "I don't have time to jump into financing a home and having the joys of bills."

_"Relax. The house is my baby shower gift to you and Akari Dekage. It's completely paid for. Chu, the guy who you probably slammed your door on and left in the hall of the apartment complex," _Kagome looked at the front door, blushing because she had done just that and it had been exceptionally rude,_ "is being paid to be your butler and accountant. He'll take care of managing things on your new estate for the most part. He'll stay on the property with you and your cousin."_

"I don't know what to say..." Kagome felt tears coming to her eyes. Sesshoumaru was seeing to her and Akari's welfare. She was happy, but then again she was sad because of it. She had hoped she and Akari would live through at least something of a struggle to endear them closer together, but instead everything seemed it would be perfect, even though it undoubtedly would turn out to be something just a ridge short of pure terror.

_"You could start by saying 'thank you' and quite possibly finish by saying 'I love you' and probably throw in a 'you're the greatest brother in the whole world' somewhere in there too. Yeah, that seems sufficient." _

Kagome laughed and sniffled at the same time, wiping a tear from her eye before saying, "Thank you, you're one of the greatest brothers in the whole world, and I love you."

_"No, you said it wrong. I am _the_ greatest brother. Not 'one of the'. Women..." _She heard a sigh and couldn't keep from giggling.

"Alright, you're the greatest."

_"Brother in the... oh whatever. See you later. Let me talk to Chu again."_

Kagome sniffled and walked to the door, opening it to find the man at the door was leaning casually against the wall opposite the door for a moment before he saw her and straightened up quickly. She saw his tension immediately and wondered why she didn't notice it before. She guessed it was because she had been so sleepy, but now she was awake. The shock of a large bank account had woken her up very well.

She handed him the phone and motioned for him to enter the apartment. He put the phone to his ear and listened for a moment before hanging up. "I will wait here for you Mrs. Higurashi. Please leave your key with me as well, and I shall handle moving everything to your new home."

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**I still have no clue what I'm doing today. That's just crazy. But sexy crazy! Haha!**


	135. Keiko's Punishment

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Keiko is going through hell, just like you thousand reviewers wished for. Becareful when you wish on my star... you almost always get what you wish for... I own that star._**_

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Chapter one hundred thirtyfive: Keiko's Punishment

Kagome sighed before nodding and heading for Akari's room. She made a mental note to take the Jewel shards with her. She didn't really need to find out what would happen if her new 'butler' was captured by the gloom that surrounded the Jewel. It wasn't in her interest to find out.

She wondered about Chu as she readied Akari for the day, changing her diaper and creating a diaper bag. Even though she had corrected him, he still was calling her by the married term 'Mrs.' She didn't really find that amusing. At all. She actually found that rather antagonizing. It made her feel tainted and more like her mother than she was comfortable with.

Even still, she kept this in and just smiled at her baby. Akari giggled as Kagome dressed her warm in the clothes Yusuke had bought and Kagome strapped Akari to her chest in the child-carrying holster that was for infants just after she had fed the young girl.

"You're leaving already?" Yusuke's sleepy voice came from the doorway. "It's getting close to winter. Is it smart to take Akari out?"

Kagome turned to see that Yusuke was standing in the doorway, tired as she had expected. He hadn't gotten much sleep either. He was up every time she was up because even though Akari was very small, she had a very strong set of lungs on her. She smiled at him. "Yes, and so are you. Get ready for school, Yusuke."

Yusuke chuckled quietly while yawning at the same time. "You'll make me, I presume."

"No, but I think my new butler is strong enough to do so." Kagome said thoughtfully. Yusuke gave her a confused look before she explained, "Sesshoumaru bought us a new house to live in and gave me a ridiculous sum of money."

Yusuke rubbed the back of his neck for a second. "Right. Great. I think I'll just skip out on the new house offer if it's in the district that Keiko's in." Well, he was bluntly honest. Keiko was the reason he wouldn't go with her.

"Neither of us is getting a choice, Yusuke. Please, come with me." Kagome pleaded.

He sighed heavily. "You're contradicting yourself."

"I do it all the time," she dismissed offhand, earning a chuckle from him and a nod, "Alright, I'll come." He promised. But he never said he would like it.

**-Elsewhere- **

Keiko was surprised when she didn't wake up in her bed like always. She wasn't in anyone else's bed or such nonsense, but she certainly wasn't at home either. She was grateful not to be at home but she was very confused to wake up shivering under a thin blanket on a very unforgiving floor.

One look around told her where she was and it made her shudder with anxiety. She slept on the floor by Hiei's dresser. Of course she hadn't expected she would wake up in his bed or something stupid like that since he clearly didn't like her, but her shock did come in the fact that he never woke her to send her on her way.

She frowned, getting up on her hands and knees and then standing up. She couldn't stand perfectly straight because there was a painful crick in her back from sleeping on the floor. Another sigh made it through her system and she found herself wondering why she had ever let herself close her eyes. It was stupid. It was dumb. It was about the most idiotic thing she could have ever done.

And then Hiei came out of the bathroom with no shirt on, a towel around his neck, the same black pants he seemed to wear every day, and his hair flopping in his eyes. She blushed at his indecency—really, who walks into a room half naked when they knew there was a girl in it?—and turned her head away from him. "I apologize for falling asleep."

"Apologize to my pillow. You drool." Hiei quipped, brushing past her to pull a shirt from his dresser. He pulled the tee shirt on before pulling his cape on. He really wouldn't need the heavy thing—being of the element of fire had its benefits—but people would question his sanity if he didn't wear something 'warm' as the days got colder and colder.

"What?" Keiko asked him incredulously. She did _not_ drool!

Hiei quirked an eyebrow at her. _No, but the look on your face just now was priceless._ He told her, a whisper in her mind.

"Oh, ha ha, very funny." She drawled. "I had no idea you had a sense of humor. No really, my sides are bursting."

Hiei resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her before bending down to gather his school things together. "You can take all your reading things home. I do not require your assistance any longer. Take a shower and return to your life. If anyone finds out, I will deny it, and your presence on this planet will have expired."

Keiko gulped, wondering what changed. He was terrible at reading the day before, yet showed no inclination to relieve her of her duties, and quite frankly she had actually enjoyed teaching him, even if he was something of a sadistic homicidal maniac who had at one point wanted to rule the world with an army of zombie-humans by using an enchanted sword.

"Okay." She watched him leave and nearly sunk to her knees. She wanted to cry, but just couldn't let herself. The fear Hiei had instilled in her was nothing compared to what Koenma had proven he was capable of. She had actually hoped that maybe, just maybe, she might be able to talk to Hiei about it and ask him why she was chosen.

Apparently not. She was alone in the universe. There was nothing there for her except fear of a new life she had never expected. Steeling herself for the worst, she grabbed her bags and headed home. It wasn't that she wanted to go home, but she had to. It would be worse to postpone the inevitable than to just face it head on.

When she arrived home she was met with exactly what she had expected. It was Wednesday and her mother's boyfriend was at her home. But more than that. It was Wednesday and her mother was not home while her mother's boyfriend was.

"I suppose you think you don't have to come home by curfew, hm?" he drawled. Who was he? Keiko didn't know. He came into the picture about a month earlier and while Keiko usually made it her business to know exactly who she was dealing with, this man was no one Keiko wanted to know. Terms of endearment were in a name. Keiko believed there was nothing endearing about the man. "Where were you?"

"Where I was is none of your concern." Keiko told him. She expected exactly what she received. She thought she deserved it, so she did not stop it even though she knew she could. Yusuke had put up with slaps, so why should Keiko fight what her mother's boyfriend would give her?

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**Not really crazy at all.**


	136. Tongue Catching

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Such a...sweet chapter... I own this story and the ideas contained here-in. I may not own a lot of the characters and such, but this is my story. Please respect that, just as I respect you._**_

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Chapter one hundred thirtysix: Tongue Catching

**-Elsewhere- **

Kagome had gone through her day much like any other, or at least she had done so to the best of her ability with a baby to juggle at the same time as school. It was difficult when Akari wanted to be fed every hour and changed at the same interval. The first day was so hard that she actually wondered if it would be best just to take a semester off of school but decided against it.

She needed to get as much schooling out of the way as she could before she stumbled on a way to unseal the well. So it was that with Akari she went to class after class and tried to keep up her normal routine, visiting with Kurama, Sesshoumaru, and the nameless boy during whatever hours of the day that would permit it.

She didn't see Keiko at all that day which did worry her, but didn't know who to take the complaint up with. Keiko was widely popular in the school, but that didn't make Kagome's decision any easier either.

Band was a tricky class to deal with. She sat next to her nameless friend in the strings section and both of them were equally horrid at the violin, so Akari kept waking up and screaming. Finally Sesshoumaru sighed and asked her to just go into his office for the rest of the period. She did so, feeling rather bad, and fed and changed Akari in there. After that, she had played Fantasie-Impromptu and that seemed to settle Akari down somewhat.

Second period was History class. She had this class with her nameless friend as well as Yusuke and while she had noticed Hiei usually just stared at his paper all hour long listening to the lecture, that day was the first day she had seen him taking notes on what the teacher said. She was pleased he was taking an interest.

Third period was Mathematics, and she had this one with Yusuke only. He sat directly behind her and normally he would poke her in the back with his pencil constantly just to agitate her, but that day he too had seemed to take an interest in school work because he was absorbing every word the teacher told him.

Then there was lunch for Kagome and while she had managed to sneak a passport from each class to feed and change Akari Dekage, lunch was a time when she needed no pass and no permission to do so. She—as usual—ate lunch with Sesshoumaru in his office. They talked of random things and as the hour neared ending time, she asked him if he wanted to hold Akari.

"I've never held a baby before." He admitted. "I'd rather not. She's so little I might break her."

Kagome was surprised to hear he had never held a baby before. But he had a daughter, didn't he? She knew it was near time to decipher the rest of Seirra's scroll if she ever wanted to find out what unhappy ending Seirra and Sesshoumaru's relationship had and how Mitsuko, their daughter, had ended up never being held by her father.

Instead, Kagome took Akari from where she was bundled up on her chest and handed her carefully to Sesshoumaru. The longer the seconds dragged that he held Akari, the more beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Akari made no noise, just simply stared up at him like he was the most fascinating creature around. "See? That's not so hard, is it?" Kagome asked.

Sesshoumaru's eyes were locked on Akari as her little fingers twined in his hair and she began to gum at the fine silky strands. Kagome smiled warmly and Akari giggled, tugging on Sesshoumaru's hair.

Fourth period was Advanced History and she had this class with Kurama. She really did think he was a great guy the more she got to know him and talk to him and her attraction to him physically was becoming something far greater, she could tell. With him she didn't have to pretend to be something she wasn't, and she didn't have to hope he wasn't boring because he really wasn't.

He talked of intelligent things with her and treated her as an equal, which in her mind was worthy of everything she could have hoped for. He didn't mind Akari—he had made that very clear to her—and he realized that with Akari along for the ride, she really couldn't look for just any relationship on a touch-n-go basis.

But what surprised her about him was the fact that he wasn't looking for a touch-n-go based relationship either. He was looking for something a little more permanent than that. He was looking for someone he would be able to trust to come home to him, because despite his deadly gorgeous looks, he was insecure.

She saw his insecurity, even though it was very well hidden. She had always been one to decipher such emotions. He was insecure because there were two spirits within him and he knew that the only woman he would ever be able to end up with was the one who could accept both sides to him. They didn't get to talk for very long in class though, and she regretted that.

Fifth period was science class, equally as dangerous as Mathematics for Kagome. She had this class with the nameless boy and even though she sat five seats away from him, usually she ended up paired with him on the lab projects. Her science teacher once more gave the class the option to choose partners on their own, and once more Kagome had approached him and asked him if he wanted to be her partner.

He had given her his usual gruff reply and they had proceeded to melt their lab station into a pile of goo, but Kagome didn't have to worry about Akari during the experiment since the teacher had offered to take care of the little girl while they did their homework. "You blow up toilets _and_ cause meltdowns." Hiei had told her.

"That wasn't my fault!" Kagome had insisted as they walked out of fifth period together, heading for the last period of the day: gym. She shared this class with Yusuke, Yusuke's friend Kuwabara, and her nameless friend, and it was always a pleasure to listen to the three always agreeing to disagree on anything that was said.

"Yes it was." Hiei told her. "I told you not to use—" He proceeded to list off things she shouldn't have put in their chemical mix, but the long words were lost on her and they had come upon the girl's locker room. She childishly stuck her tongue out at him, only to find he had grasped it between his fingers so quickly she didn't know what hit her.

"I could remove this for you." He offered and she narrowed her eyes at him. It was a second before he released her tongue and smirked at her.

"Hmph." She said and stuck her tongue out at him again before heading into the girl's locker room, making her way to the female gym teacher's office. She didn't give him a chance to respond.

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**Crazy! Sexy crazy! Dance to the song "Switch" by Will Smith cause it's catching!**


	137. Hiei's Trust

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I have to pee. Yes, you wanted to know that. You just didn't know it. I love you all for reading and reviewing my story! I know it is lacking in Kurama-attention, but soon that will change! But even still, I do not own. Dude, can I stop saying "I don't own"? Seriously I think you guysunderstand after 137 chapters that I'm not about to try to steal the rights to these shows. I mean, honestly, who does that?_**_

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Chapter one hundred thirtyseven: Hiei's Trust

**-Elsewhere- **

Hiei shook his head and went into the men's locker room. That woman was really beginning to confuse him. In ordinary circumstances he would have cut out the tongue of someone so audacious and then in all likelihood he would have dismembered them.

He had done none of that to her, which confused him. Why hadn't he? He went to his locker and opened it, pulling out the grayish white shirt and black sweatpants he had provided himself for gym class. He wouldn't use the school uniform—he wasn't insane enough to wear those tiny shorts—and had never used it.

He thought back to the night before when Keiko had fallen asleep. Whatever barrier she used around him to keep him inside his mind had disappeared and he had taken a peak into her mind. He really wasn't sure how to feel about what he had seen in there. Every Wednesday she got to look forward to being raped and beaten by the man who her mother called a boyfriend.

Hiei wished he could say it wasn't his problem, but he hadn't failed to notice that it was because of the beating he had given her that very first visit that she felt she deserved whatever was thrown at her by whoever gave it. He hadn't seen Keiko in Advanced Mathematics and wondered where she was momentarily before growling and pulling on his tee-shirt. It wasn't his problem! Was it?

In a way, he was glad he wouldn't need her services in learning to read anymore. It was one less problem to invite into his home. What he had done was use his Evil Eye to absorb the information that Keiko knew and while it was a fairly new technique, it was likened enough to the same practice that reading minds was so he had pulled it off—though he was fairly tired afterward.

So without knowing it, Keiko had taught him to read and write, as well as actually made him able to understand all things such as science, history, algebra and other classes that she had taken in the past. She was a very smart girl, he had to admit. Not that it mattered that he finally knew how to do all this stuff, because he guessed he would probably be dead in a week if he didn't find the amulet.

He wondered as he exited into the gym what had happened to Koenma. Obviously he reached demon maturity, but that wouldn't have made him so cruel. He had always had power at his disposal that he could have used against the Spirit Detectives at any time to stop their grumbling or teasing, but he had never once done something so harsh. He yelled and gave paper cuts, but that was about as deadly as things got.

There was also the prince's eye coloring. They had always been brown completely, but now they were surrounded with a gold rim. Was that significant? Had the gold rim come with his demon maturity? And where was George during this whole encounter? The ogre was rarely seen very far from Koenma's side.

Hiei walked over to where Yusuke and Kuwabara were leaning against the bleachers in the gym. Kuwabara hadn't been in Advanced Mathematics either and Hiei had wondered where he was. But now that he saw Kuwabara, he didn't know why he had bothered to waste the worry. The guy was a solid bruise from head to foot.

Yusuke was trying to get Kuwabara to say who had done it. "Was it Ugali High?" Kuwabara shook his head. "Mina High?" Kuwabara shook his head.

Hiei leaned against the bleachers, as ever the short one in the group. A sigh escaped his lips before he could stop it and he could feel a headache beginning to pound in the back of his mind. All these ponderings were starting to kill him, he was sure of it. There would be nothing left of him for Koenma to 'deal with' if he failed to retrieve the amulet anyway.

"Youso High?" Kuwabara shook his head.

"Hello guys!" Kagome chirped to the three, seeming to approach the three of them without a care in the world. Hiei bit back a groan at her happiness. What did she have to be happy about? Why was she smiling every single day—except the day with the crazies in the apartment beneath him and the day he failed to walk her home like he said he would.

Hiei would have thought that with Keiko being brutally raped and beaten every Wednesday, Kuwabara mysteriously disappearing for Advanced Mathematics, Koenma going insane and voodoo-breaking Hiei's arm, and countless other rather unfortunate and unhappy events that probably took place at one time or another, she would learn to frown a little.

He wondered why he rarely saw her without a smile on. She and Botan were very alike. They were always bubbly and chipper. But unlike Botan, Hiei didn't find her annoying. Wait, where did that thought slip in? He took that back, she was very annoying. "Hey, Kags." Yusuke greeted his cousin.

"Good afternoon, Miss Kagome." Kuwabara said politely. He did not grab up her hand and ask her to be his girlfriend, contrary to popular belief. He was not an idiot and one of the things he respected most was a woman's privacy. His code of honor in dealing with women was 'don't touch without permission'. Beside that was also the fact that he was in love with Yukina.

By this time Hiei had already gone back to staring at absolutely nothing, his arms crossed on his chest and his crimson eyes glazed over as he pondered the meaning to his life. He had been brought into the world and then tossed aside. He had been found in a forest and taken into the care of a human and a demon that had raised him for years, implanting the Evil Eye in his forehead to calm his raging elements lest he kill himself.

He had watched those two very same people as they died, unable to do anything about it. He had taken revenge, been taught by a Demon Slayer how to fend for himself; lived a long life of solitude, and because of who he was, all he ever knew was hatred. It wasn't until Kurama came along, a fox spirit in the body of a human boy, that Hiei actually started placing his trust in others again.

Kurama, Yusuke, Koenma, and Kuwabara were the first to earn his trust and respect in over five hundred years. Koenma—who Hiei thought would have been the last to break the Forbidden One's trust—had been the first to break it. He sighed and pulled himself out of his reverie in time to hear, "Akari is with Miss Thomas."

"Her? I don't know, Kags. She gives me the creeps." Yusuke told her.

Kagome gave her cousin a stern look. "Don't talk about her that way. She's very nice if you get to know her."

"I'm sure that's what they say about drill sergeants in boot camp too." Yusuke muttered.

Hiei looked at Kagome. As ever the markings were present on her face and arms. He knew about the ones on her stomach—he had seen them, even if it was accidental—but she never had explained what they were there for. Why would she go through the pains of tattooing herself like that?

He had to admit that even Kagome and Keiko had earned trust and respect from him. Despite the fact that he still disliked Keiko, he trusted the woman with his secret, and respected her to keep quiet. But since he respected her, did that mean he had to help her when she was clearly getting abused?

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**How many people would like to learn more about Rinay, the first Spectrum Eyes? She's the 'writer' of most of the poetry I write for this story. Depending on how many want to know, I will do a side story on her like I did with Seirra. **


	138. Queen's Betrayal

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I still haven't completely sorted through all those reviews. What with no surge protector, my computer is still out of commission, and I'm not even supposed to be on this one! Please don't be angry at Koenma. He literally doesn't know what "he" is doing because he's not the one doing it! I own a radio with which I recieve much of my inspiration to write._**_

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Chapter one hundred thirtyeight: Queen Chieko's Betrayal

**-Spirit World- **

The blood had caked long ago but he was marked. He would forever show the scars of the wounds that had been inflicted upon his body. It hurt to move, it even hurt to breathe, but he had to do it in order to continue living. As long as he was pained by the wounds, he would continue to know he was still alive at least.

He couldn't believe she had turned on him like that. His father was wrong. His father didn't know how wrong he had been. Koenma was not like his mother. Koenma was very different; too different, and that was how he had ended up in the situation he was in, broken and bloody in a cell in the depths of the Spirit World prison. He had refused to take the amulet from its rightful owner just to give his mother more power.

He heard footsteps and forced his eyes open, feeling the dried blood on his eyes breaking open. Several of the wounds were infected, but there was nothing he could do about it. So far he wasn't dead yet, which was more than he could say for George who had passed away a couple weeks ago already when they were first put in the cell due to inflammation and infection in his wounds and loss of blood.

His body was decaying in the same cell that Koenma resided in. Koenma had given up trying to reach his father telepathically—the wards on the cell wouldn't allow such communication. He could barely lift his head anymore and he wondered what had become of his Spirit Detectives with the look-alike he knew his mother had undoubtedly brought in there instead.

Koenma's demon maturity could not have come at a more convenient time for Chieko, Koenma's mother. Everyone had known that Koenma had reached demon maturity, but very few knew of what Koenma looked like in the new aspect, so the subtle differences between Koenma and the one who his mother had brought in—the look-alike—would be chalked off as a part of the demon maturity change.

He looked with blurry and unresponsive eyes to the cell door where he could see through the cage that bound him to the hallway beyond. There were several people there, but he heard only one set of footsteps. There were also several doors, and each of these people moved in unison as they unlocked the spelled door and entered.

He tried to speak. He tried to bring attention to himself. Whoever it was shouldn't have been in the cell, nor should they have knelt by him and checked him for a pulse. He was supposed to just remain there and rot until his death for disobeying his mother. Oh would he like to kill his mother. If he ever were to survive, he would delight in relieving his mother of her life, and then...

And then it would be the one who was impersonating him, pretending to be the prince. Koenma could understand perfectly why his father hated his mother and why, in turn, Koenma had received those negative affections as well. Koenma had acted like his mother on several occasions, but there was a very thick line between what Koenma would do to another.

"My lord," he heard the voice of an angel, one that he recognized so well.

He tried to summon up his voice to scold her for being there. She was supposed to be watching over Kagome Higurashi, keeping the time-traveler safe, but here she was in the Spirit World, against Queen Chieko's orders—Mitsuko had been banned from the Spirit World—and she was by his side.

"My lord, what has become of this place?" he heard her whisper, though she didn't sound like she expected a response, which was a good thing since he couldn't give her one. She pulled his arm over her shoulder to help him up. She half expected him to lead him up and out of the dungeon, but she instead led him away from where he knew the exit to be.

He saw a dark hole in the wall before that darkness engulfed him and pain made him unable to remain conscious. It seemed only seconds later he opened his eyes again and he was lying in a bed being stared down at by Chu, Rinku, and Mitsuko. There were a few others, but for the life of him he could not place a face to a name.

Rinku yipped happily, grinning so wide that the stars on his cheek seemed to disappear into his ears. "He's awake! He's finally awake!" he shouted.

Koenma winced at the sudden loud 'Huzzah!' that was shouted by more than just the amount of people that stared down at him. He could feel the reverberations of that happy shout in his lungs, even if he wasn't doing the shouting. He definitely could feel the joy echoing in his head as a throbbing headache settled in.

He tried to sit up, but Mitsuko pressed a hand on his chest. It didn't matter though, because he couldn't sit up anyway. "My lord, I have gathered people who wish to help you and who we can trust. Tell us what is going on in the Spirit World, my lord."

Koenma listened as there was a sudden silence. He wished he could turn his head and see who all seemed to have shouted, but he could move nothing. His entire body was bandaged up so tight that movement more than his eyes was quite out of the question. "Queen Chieko intends to overthrow my father." His voice was scratchy from disuse.

Chu's voice broke past Koenma's ears as he heard the man with the blue hair say, "She do this t' yeh?" He didn't bother to concentrate on using 'intelligent speech' like he did with Kagome. He just shrugged it off.

Koenma felt a harsh cough coming on and when he coughed, he felt the metallic taste of blood enter his mouth. Mitsuko placed a handkerchief to his mouth and said, "Spit." He did as told and pushed the red liquid up with his tongue into the cloth.

"She wanted to use me against my father. She tried to manipulate me, but I told her flat out that I wouldn't betray him, even if I don't like him." He laughed harshly as he remembered, but laughing made him hurt so he stopped. "We fought. I don't mean any shouting match either. I find it humorous that my own mother had to transform just to beat me. Had I been able to transform, I would have killed her, but..." He felt too tired to continue.

"Rest now, my lord." Mitsuko told him. "I'll inform your Spirit Detectives of the change."

"No, it's too risky. Just tell Hiei. He's the only one whose mind can't be picked clean by a telepath." Koenma closed his eyes and instantly was claimed by sleep.

Mitsuko stood from the edge of the bed that Koenma was resting on. She looked at those who she had gathered and said loud enough that everyone would be able to hear, "Lord Koenma needs rest now. I want everyone to go back to their lives for now. Never forget to wear your talismans, or a telepath will be able to pick your mind clean."

Mitsuko turned back to look down at the man on the bed, so bandaged and wounded as the people dispersed. They, as in her, Chu, and Rinku, had gathered a little over fifty people who created the Rebellion. Mitsuko did have the anxious feeling that letting everyone hear Koenma was a bad idea, but Chu had told her that they were trustworthy enough to hear.

"What do we do now?" Rinku questioned, doing a handstand near Koenma's feet. Those who remained were few. "It's too dangerous to move him right now, isn't it?"

Mitsuko smiled at Rinku before nodding. "Yes, it is too dangerous for more than one reason. Rinku, do you think you can keep watch over him while the rest of us go do what we must? If we're gone too long, our disappearances will be noticed."

Rinku nodded. "I can handle anything!"

Mitsuko looked at Chu and the two who were in shadows. "We should go now." She told them.

Chu looked at his watch before pulling on the candy cap. "Yeh knows I feel real weird bein' sober."

"Get over it." Mitsuko told him. "The Guardian gave you passage through the barrier under the terms that you would attract no trouble for two years. We must face the truth that you attract more trouble drunk than sober."

"Am I suppos' ta dog away from Urameshi ferev'r?" He complained.

"That's right!" Rinku chirped. "He promised you another battle!"

One of the people in the shadows stepped forward. He narrowed his eyes at Chu. "This is more important than settling personal inclinations." The Ice Ninja, Touya, called across the short distance. "We are here for a common interest. Keep that goal in mind."

Chu spat on the floor of his dislike for the situation and being allied with the Ice Ninja. He didn't get along with the other demon too well. "I got'cha goal righ' here." He threatened, raising a fist at Touya. Apparently the Ice Ninja didn't like that too much.

Mitsuko wasn't about to let the two have at it, especially with Koenma between them. She held up two fingers and flicked out with her wrist, summoning forth a whip of poison that slapped against the faces of both demons. "We are not here to find out who's got the bigger penis." She told them and earned a glare from them.

There was a reason that Mitsuko was chosen to lead over fifty people in the Rebellion and it wasn't because she had long and firmly toned legs. It had nothing to do with the fact that she had a large and firm bosom. The leader had been chosen by a process of elimination. She had practically ghosted through the battles without a scratch.

She had beaten Chu, Rinku, Touya, and several others easily. There was no opposition to her. She was stronger than she was beautiful, which was saying something. "Just go. Rinku, call me if anything comes up." Rinku nodded and she walked out of the room.

When she was gone, Chu asked no one in particular, "Does she know 'er hips get a sexy sway when she's pissed? Kinda makes yeh wanna—" Chu yelped as a sudden aura pressed into his lungs painfully. He looked at the prince with an air of confusion. The prince was unconscious and still he was protective over her? What kind of bond did the two have?

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**How many people would like to learn more about Rinay, the first Spectrum Eyes? She's the 'writer' of most of the poetry I write for this story. Depending on how many want to know, I will do a side story on her like I did with Seirra. **


	139. Gym Class

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: My inspiration has shut off. I must push the play button. Which I so totally own. It's crazy. _**_

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Chapter one hundred thirtynine: Gym Class

**-Human World- **

Gym class turned out to be more instructive than Kagome had thought it would be. More people had fun in gym that period than she had expected as they were starting a new unit. She giggled as she picked up the bamboo "sword". It was about as long as the katana that Miroku and Sango had given her, but it actually felt a little heavier than that.

She supposed she could chalk off the sword being 'heavier' to the fact that she hadn't held her real sword in over half a year, but that was another issue entirely. She hefted the bamboo rod for a moment before deciding it was time to return to her place in line. She took her place between two girls named Josin and Jerla—both who giggled back and forth to their neighbors—to listen to the teacher as he talked.

"This unit isn't going to be very long, I don't doubt. It's experimental, but depending on the popularity, we might extend how long we work at it. I have asked your fellow student Shuichi Minamino to help me, since he has prior experience." The teacher looked around for a moment before noticing that said student was nowhere in sight.

He sighed. "I'm sure he'll be along in a moment, but while we wait, how many of you have had previous training with the bamboo sword?" As several students began to speak at once, he said, "Just raise your hand."

Kagome raised her hand and looked around to see several others, including Josin and Jerla, had raised their hands. Yusuke's friend Kuwabara had raised his hand, and Kagome's nameless friend had raised his hand—though of course not as high as everyone else. She tried to remember the names of the rest of the students, but they wouldn't come to mind like she wanted, so she gave up.

"Alright, you." The teacher pointed to a boy shorter than even Kagome's nameless friend, which she thought was saying something since he was about six inches shorter than her.

"Yes, Mister Tahouda?" the boy answered nervously as he put his hand down. Kagome thought he looked as though he wished he never raised his hand in the first place. He fidgeted with his shirt a bit looking at anything except the teacher he was talking to.

Tahouda said, "What's your name and how long have you been using a sword?"

"Shonji Umma, sir, and I've been practicing for seventeen years." Shonji replied with a nervous hiccup. Kagome couldn't help but attempt to decipher Shonji for a weakness. The nervous twitch in his left eye would leave room for blind spots on his left side and the way his muscles on his right arm—his sword arm—were trembling made her see fault there that she could take advantage of if she were ever faced against him.

Tahouda nodded and looked at the next boy with his hand raised. "You?" Kagome observed Tahouda for a moment wanting to know how long Tahouda had been using a sword. He really didn't look like he had ever held one, bamboo or otherwise, before in his life. Sesshoumaru had once smacked Kagome in the rump with the flat of his sword for swinging hers like Tahouda was swinging his.

"Gerald Ram." The boy was more confident than Shonji had been. "Twelve years." He was definitely more arrogant than Shonji. Gerald didn't look Japanese, but his speech was flawless. He held his sword like it was a club though, with his thumb pointed away from his fingers. He held his sword in his left hand, which made her assume that he was left handed and because of the way he held his bamboo sword, she guessed he had wrist problems that would make him weak if struck too hard.

Tahouda pointed to Josin and she lowered her hand and chirped, "I'm Josin Gardenia and I've been at this for sixteen years!" Kagome observed Josin and how she held the sword. She held it too far to the end. She would be disarmed quickly. It made Kagome wonder if she really had all those years of practice like she said she did.

Tahouda nodded to Kagome and she said, "Kagome Higurashi. One year." Kagome wasn't about to mention that she had actual training with a sword and that while learning, she had incurred many very real cuts from it. She also left out the fact that she had ended up taking a break from it for half a year.

She carefully made sure to hold her weapon leisurely so no one would be able to find a weakness from her at that particular moment. It made her wonder how many others were doing the same. Tahouda inquired of Jerla, "And you?"

"Jerla Creww, seven months." Jerla immediately went back to talking to her friend which told Kagome that she didn't really care either way. She held her sword too tight, which meant that her wrist muscles would be unable to properly brace an impact and the effect of the jarring would make her drop her sword.

Tahouda barely had a chance to blink at Yusuke's friend Kuwabara before the boy, eager to get away from Yusuke's constant questioning of who beat him up, said, "Kazuma Kuwabara! Five and a half years." Kagome didn't blame the boy for wanting something other to do than be questioned by her cousin. It looked like Yusuke was really coming down on him hard with the questions.

She would have to remind Yusuke not to be so interrogational in the future. Next to be questioned was her nameless friend. "Five hundred twenty eight years." He said and several students laughed. She found a smile going to her face as well. While she could believe that he had that much experience, hearing it said aloud in a class filled people who didn't believe or know demons still existed made it seem funny.

"Ah, a funny guy, eh?" Tahouda barked. "Enough joking around."

"Okay, ten days." Her nameless friend shrugged and she had to bite back a giggle. She guessed it wouldn't be very professional for her to just start laughing when everyone else wasn't. She noticed that by being a 'funny guy' he didn't have to say his name, and she did wonder what it was.

She thought she had heard someone mentioning it at one point, but for the life of her she couldn't remember what it was, and aside from that she had told him when he was ready to tell her his name she knew he would. Obviously he wasn't ready to tell her his name. But that did make her wonder about herself. If she was a Secret-Keeper, and his name was the secret, was she supposed to steal his name? How did one go about doing that anyway?

Her thoughts went to Akari who was being taken care of by Mrs. Thomas at that moment. She knew she should be paying attention and analyzing the other students who had experience in using the sword, but when one had a child, doing that was difficult. She wanted to know just how Akari was doing at that moment and it was distracting her.

She had been separated from her child for so long, and she had only gotten Akari Dekage back the day before, so reasonably she wouldn't want to give her up just yet. Her mind didn't want to give her up. After all, she had to give Akari to her science teacher all of last hour so that none of the chemicals would affect the child. Wasn't that long enough to be separated?

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**How many people would like to learn more about Rinay, the first Spectrum Eyes? She's the 'writer' of most of the poetry I write for this story. Depending on how many want to know, I will do a side story on her like I did with Seirra. **


	140. Equation Three

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: The title of the chapter basically is just a "searcher" for me so that I can easily remember what important things happened in each chapter. I choose one important thing and that becomes the title. It helps me navigate one hundred forty chapters easily as well. It would be far easier to narrow down what I _do_ own than listing what I _don't_ own._**_

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Chapter one hundred forty: Kuwabara (•plus•) Mitsuko (•equals•) Same Fighting Style?

**-Feudal Era- **

"Sango stop!" Ryuichi told her, forcing her to the ground and pinning her arms behind her back. It was the only way he could restrain her at the moment, and even that wasn't working too well. She was very flexible and could bend her back enough that her legs wrapped around his neck, pulling him off of her and freeing her from his grip.

She turned the hold around on him, but this time she held a dagger dangerously close to his throat, her hand holding his head and her knees pinning his arms down. She was smirking, as should she be. She had managed to pin down one of the strongest demons around, with the clear intent to kill in her brown eyes. "I will kill you for ruining my life." She hissed lowly.

The two were in the middle of a grassy plane, far from Hakushiimaru's hut, and no where near the two villages that Ryuichi kept watch over. He sighed heavily. She had learned well from the Demon Slayers. "There is very little time before the spell expires and I have to retake all that skin from you to complete the spell."

"You're about to die and you're worried about a spell?" Sango asked him incredulously.

"My Lady Priestess is my responsibility."

Sango frowned at him and for a long moment it was a stare down between the two. She wanted to kill him, but then again, his words brought back the knowledge that he would be taking her with him when he went to see Kagome. She wanted to see Kagome's world and help protect her there. Who knew what kinds of frightening demons could be there in Kagome's world that was out to harm her?

Finally she sighed and moved away from him, releasing him. She could have had him there. She could have killed him, and both of them knew it. But then again, she didn't. "Complete the spell."

He nodded and led the way back to the cave. "If I can't finish the spell in one hour, I will bow my head and _let_ you kill me."

**-Somewhere in the Human World- **

He chuckled sadistically as he looked down upon her bruised body. She wasn't really a very good replacement, but she did the trick temporarily. It wasn't terribly hard to tell where the differences were. **She** had been unwilling and had fought in the beginning and had never said a word. But this girl both spoke and gave herself up, even if she clearly revolted at the very thought of what he did.

But she was a witch, and that was clear, which was why he had chosen her to be the replacement until he could get a hold on the real deal. He had to thank the fire apparition for frightening his new little pet enough that she would steal her mother's old books and teach herself to be a witch.

He had watched her progress and she was coming along quite well. His new pet never did anything half-asked. She did a thorough job of teaching herself and in one month had progressed to the level of a witch of fifty years. She had power at her disposal and she could undoubtedly level the entire city of Tokyo with just a short muttered incantation, but fear held her back.

**-Human World- **

Touya frowned as he looked at the paper in his hand. "Some sort of servant." He muttered before staring up at the school. It was the address that Mitsuko had given him; the address on the paper matched the one on the school. He ignored the school attendants and just walked right into the school.

He could hardly believe that he would find who he was looking for in such a place. How dull it would be to go to a place and learn who-knew what for eight hours of the day! And if his understanding was correct, the majority of the students would then go to another place very similar to the one they spent all day at and continued learning for many extra hours.

Touya thought this was just silly. Honestly, who did that? Well, apparently all the people in the human world were insane because they did that. He heard the sound of harsh clacking and went toward it, his curiosity pulling him in that direction. The sound was like bamboo sticks hitting together.

That was exactly what it was, he soon saw. Looking through the glass doors into the gymnasium, he saw students paired up against other students. Despite his better judgment, he entered the room, curious to find out what was going on that students would be pitted in battle against each other.

"May I help you?" Touya barely spared the human a glance before looking back at the opposing students. He wondered what people would say if he picked up one of the bamboo sticks and started beating one human after another. Surely the world would not miss a few humans out of the millions that occupied the world?

"I'm looking for someone." He told the human, resisting the urge. If he were to start washing the floor with human blood, the Guardian of the Barrier would be most displeased and admittedly Touya knew he would not be the last standing in a fight with him. "He goes by the name of Hiei. He is, perhaps, four feet eight inches tall. Hair sticks up like a flame. Possibly uses color contacts."

Touya would have said 'crimson eyes' but normal humans didn't have red eyes and a human wouldn't understand it was possible. Very rarely did a human understand that demons existed, and it was even rarer still to find a human that accepted that fact. The man tilted his head toward two students in the corner of the room. Touya nodded his acceptance and made his way around toward the pair to stand and watch the fight.

He recognized both of them. The tall one with orange hair had fought on Team Urameshi in the Dark Tournament, as had the short one. The short one was who he was after: Hiei. Touya had watched several of the battles that Team Urameshi had gotten into and had learned earlier on that the orange haired fighter hadn't been very good with the sword. Often he waved it around about as well as a pig sticker.

But there had been a clear change from the time of the tournament and that moment in the gymnasium. The orange haired fighter's movements had gotten swift and precise and followed a style that Touya wondered about. Few fighters fought like the orange haired fighter was doing at that particular moment. Mitsuko was one of them, of that the Ice Ninja was sure.

But there really was no chance that Mitsuko had taken an apprentice. She was busy leading the Rebellion. It was impossible. His eyes narrowed as the fight progressed. How had the orange haired fighter come across the same style of fighting that Mitsuko applauded?

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**How many people would like to learn more about Rinay, the first Spectrum Eyes? She's the 'writer' of most of the poetry I write for this story. Depending on how many want to know, I will do a side story on her like I did with Seirra. **


	141. Akari Dekage

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Want to attract the guys with whiter teeth and a brighter smile? Use HamHam's Baking Soda Toothpaste, with tarter control! Even better is the fact that it tastes like bacon! Enjoy brushing your teeth from now on, with HamHam's Baking Soda Toothpaste!HamHam is not responsible for lung or kidney damage incurred while using our product. However, in the chance that you happen to get laid while using our product, you can totally blame on us. We're cool like that. (Totally made that up...)_**_

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Chapter one hundred fortyone: Akari Dekage

**-Feudal Era- **

Akio entered the cave with a heavy sigh and dropped his large clothed bundle on his father's bed. "What do you want, Akio?" his father asked as he lined a large circle on the floor with round stones.

Akio just shrugged and looked at his father's mate, though when he spoke it was not to her but to the pink haired demon. "I take it you're not leaving anything to chance with this Priestess, huh?"

"No." Ryuichi agreed. He placed down the last stone and, with a few muttered words, they began to glow a bright pink color.

"You may wish to take that along." Akio told Sango. "It was Isoo's, but she feels it will serve you better." He smiled at her before heading toward the cave entrance, which was also coincidentally the exit. "Take care, father. We do expect you to come back."

Ryuichi nodded distractedly as Sango looked at the large thing on the bed. She pulled the cloth off of it and blinked once. And then twice. And a tear slipped out of her eye. _It was Isoo's_. The Hiraikotsu was used by Demon Slayers only, or so she had thought. Isoo was a human. Did that make Isoo a Demon Slayer at one point in time?

"The spell is ready." Ryuichi told her. She hastily pulled on her bone mask and strapped the boomerang on her back, silently thanking Isoo. If Isoo had been a Demon Slayer then that meant that she wasn't the only one who remained alive. She stepped into the circle with Ryuichi and he pulled her flush against his body. The bone mask covered her blush. That wasn't a sword she felt.

**-Spirit World- **

He looked at the monitor for a long moment and then at the Queen who was brushing her European style gown free of stray dust particles. "So havoc is being wrecked in the human world. It is not our problem. I do not see why I should care." The phony Prince said, his brown and gold eyes staring unblinkingly at the blond haired woman.

"My dear," Queen Chieko said, walking into the room further. She leaned against the desk and reached over to lay a hand over his folded hands that rested on the desk. "My husband is observant, if nothing else. That brat son of mine would have taken care of this situation an hour before it set off. Now is not the time to show him something is wrong. Should he see you, he will smell the difference and know you are not him. We must not arouse suspicion in him yet."

Gold rimmed brown irises met brown eyes and as she knew he would, he nodded. "Then it will be taken care of." He stood from the desk that usually housed piles of paperwork.

"I knew you would not fail me." She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting a long and drawn out kiss on his lips.

**-Human World- **

Kagome was faced with Jerla Creww. Despite that she knew Jerla's weakness she couldn't manage to defeat her. Every time she got close enough to strike, she fumbled. Her clumsiness added with her distracted mind being on Akari Dekage made her by far more humiliated by Jerla.

She was beginning to severely dislike Jerla, which was saying something since very few ever made it onto the list of who Kagome 'severely disliked'. Naraku was on that list as well. Jerla's taunts and jeers sent her over the edge and made her even worse. Sesshoumaru would have frowned upon her if he could see how terrible she was doing.

Of course, it probably didn't help her conscience much to know that he would hear about her disgrace through rumors, undoubtedly. She was being shown up by a girl two years younger than she was and at the same time who had less experience and that experience was not given to her by a demon that seemed to suffer madness because he held a schedule of getting up at three AM and going to sleep at midnight!

So where was Kagome going wrong? She had analyzed Jerla and found her weakness. She was _trying_ to do what Sesshoumaru had taught her and exploit the 'enemy's' weakness, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. How could she do something so cruel? Was Akari Dekage alright at that moment? No, concentrate, Kagome, she told herself. She couldn't afford not to.

As Kagome saw her wooden sword flying away from her she felt like crying. How could she call herself the Guardian of the Jewel of Four Souls if she couldn't even beat someone in gym class? Yusuke was exceeding her knowledge in mathematics and he had never taken an interest in it before. Kurama already was more intelligent than Kagome could ever hope to be.

Even her nameless friend was better than her at a lot of things. He could do one perfect back flip after another, he knew all his science, he probably got top marks in class, and probably knew how to sword fight well. She didn't know about that yet considering she was busy with her own little one-on-one battle with Jerla.

And what was Kagome good at? Absolutely nothing! She couldn't play the violin, she couldn't figure out her math, she couldn't use a sword, she _knew_ she couldn't use a bow very well and any time she actually hit the mark was a fluke... She was probably a horrible mother too.

Kagome was in tears by the time she was finished with herself. Added with Jerla's comments on how she was a whore for already having a kid and an idiot for not using protection, she was thoroughly ragged. She knew that Jerla's comments were a part of the 'game' so to say, but if Jerla knew what Kagome had gone through just to give Ka another chance at life...

Kagome left her sword on the floor and ran into the girl's locker room, ready to just go home. Sesshoumaru would have frowned upon that, but she didn't care. She just didn't _care_. Why was she always running? Did she really have anything to run from or was she just petrified of her own shadow?

She collapsed in the corner of the shower room and that was where Mrs. Thomas found her. The problem was that Jerla didn't know Kagome couldn't handle the comments. She wasn't normal anymore. One would have thought that after Inuyasha, she would be able to handle anything that came, but it was the other way around.

She was emotionally unstable because of it. Mrs. Thomas heard her rambling about how she wasn't good at anything and couldn't handle anything and instantly handed Akari Dekage to her mother. Akari giggled and tried to eat the hair that fell over Kagome's shoulder from falling out of her messy bun.

Mrs. Thomas said, "Akari wanted her mommy the whole time, so doesn't that say something? Hang in there, you'll make it."

Kagome sniffled and wiped her eyes on her sleeve before looking down at Akari Dekage, her light in shadow. Her giggling baby tugged on the lock of hair, smiling up at her mother with the most adorable brown eyes. Kagome relaxed and looked at Mrs. Thomas gratefully. "Thanks for the boost. I guess I kind of freaked out, huh?"

Mrs. Thomas just smiled and said, "We all have our moments." Even if she didn't know it, she had encouraged Kagome to continue tugging forward. Kagome's smile returned and she kissed her baby's forehead. "Mind if I ask you something?" Kagome shook her head. She didn't mind. "Where did you get those color shifting contacts?"

That brought Kagome a small giggle. She couldn't really say they were her actual eyes could she? So she did the next best thing: she lied. She was surprised how easily it came. "I don't know for sure. My mom bought them."

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**How many people would like to learn more about Rinay, the first Spectrum Eyes? She's the 'writer' of most of the poetry I write for this story. Depending on how many want to know, I will do a side story on her like I did with Seirra. **


	142. Kurama Saw

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Free your soul. Drink bitter lemon water. But it doesn't make you own someone else's things._**_

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Chapter one hundred fortytwo: Kurama Saw...

**-Elsewhere- **

Hiei wondered exactly how it was that Kuwabara had gotten so good at fighting. It had been a year and a half since Hiei had seen him fight, but since then he shouldn't have nearly perfected his formation. The fight should have been a cinch, but it wasn't. Kuwabara was giving him a hard time and both were forced to infuse their power into their wooden swords just to keep them from breaking, though keeping that power invisible from a crowd of students was difficult.

He continued to look for an opening even while fighting, but every would-be blow was blocked. He didn't waste his breath on throwing out the customary jeers and taunts that often came along with the sword fight—attacking mentally didn't seem important at the moment—and neither did Kuwabara.

Finally he found his opening and he took it, sliding his wooden sword under Kuwabara's defense to point the rounded tip at the orange haired boy's throat. "Dang it." Kuwabara complained, heaving a sigh. "Don't think for an instant I couldn't beat you, shorty." He added to cover up the fact that he lost.

Hiei smirked. "Right."

"Hey, isn't that guy from the Tournament?" Kuwabara asked, tilting his head to someone behind Hiei. Hiei moved to look, but Kuwabara's voice stopped him. "Don't look now, but he's coming this way. What was his name? I'm not sure, but Kurama fought him."

Hiei resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "How many demons did Kurama fight again? It's so hard to remember."

Kuwabara blushed faintly, his face turning even redder than the workout had made it. "But most of them died didn't they?"

"No," Hiei stated calmly. "We fought a bare aspect of them. Their true self remained with the Guardian of the Barrier. If all those demons were truly allowed to come into the Human World, do you think they'd stay there, or would they steal away instead? It is how the Guardian of the Barrier keeps them all in line and it avoids too many casualties."

"So you mean to say that wasn't really me there?" Kuwabara scratched his neck in confusion. He had those memories though, didn't he?

Hiei chuckled quietly and said, "No that was you."

"So I could have died and everyone else didn't?" Kuwabara was pretty heated up about the notion. How unjust was that?

"Exactly. We were not from the Demon Plane, which meant we didn't get the same privilege the rest of them did." Hiei took one look at Kuwabara's crestfallen face and decided to reword what he said.

Hiei said, "Because we choose to live in the Human World, we also have the choice to fight or not in the Tournament. Demons from the Demon Plane do look forward to the Tournament but when it comes around a battle royal in every city chooses the strongest teams to go. But you're still alive so don't worry about it."

"So Toguro could still be alive?" Kuwabara winced at the very thought of the guy still alive.

Hiei nodded. "It is possible if the Guardian held him. But I find it unlikely since he lived in the Human World and wished for admittance to the Demon Plane."

Kuwabara muttered something under his breathe that was lost in the clacking sounds of the gym before storming over to the water fountain to get a drink. "I have a message for you, Hiei the Forbidden One." Hiei turned toward the whisper, coming in contact with Touya the Ice Ninja. He raised his eyebrow at the other demon—if Touya was there to attack, he would have done so already.

"And that is?"

"Walls have ears. We must take this elsewhere." Touya stated. "Alone."

**-Elsewhere- **

Kurama sighed, digging his shoes further in the sand of the park. His shoes were loaded with sand and his bare feet were getting a treat. He hated socks. They were too constricting.

His hair shadowed his troubled face. He had seen something very disturbing, and he had turned his back on it. He was furious with himself for just walking away. It made him want to take a knife and just stab himself repeatedly, and his guilty conscience wouldn't leave him alone about it either, which was no reprieve.

He couldn't believe he had seen it and just turned away. He should have done something. He should have helped her. He had seen it happening but _he did nothing_. How could he call himself Yusuke's friend if he stood by while Yusuke's ex-girlfriend was raped? Yusuke would have done something, Kurama was sure.

Kurama pulled his shoes off his feet and dumped the sand out of them, brushing his foot off before putting it back on and doing the same to the other. He had to get away. He should go back. He couldn't decide what he should do. What did a person do if there was injustice happening right in front of them?

Usually they tried to hinder the progress of such a bad deed. Kurama had been afraid to do anything. The Ruthless Thief Youko Kurama had known fear, and he bolted. Look what the human world had done to him. If it were Kagome, would he have walked away? How could he know the answer to that if he couldn't bring himself to save Keiko while it was happening?

Instead he had helped the rapist. He had helped the rapist get away with what he was doing. Kurama stood from the swing and started walking. He wasn't sure where he was going; he just knew he wanted to go somewhere. His legs carried him and he followed. He was running again. He was running away from the thoughts so dangerous.

"Hello Kurama!" Kurama looked toward the bouncy voice and wasn't surprised to see Botan there. He put a smile on his face that he honestly didn't feel and greeted her pleasantly, even while he wanted to strangle her for keeping him from running away from the thoughts. "Lord Koenma has an urgent mission for you Spirit Detectives!"

"Ah. Do you have the details, or should I head to see Koenma?" Botan smiled at Kurama and procured a Manila folder from the large purple sleeves to her kimono. "Ah." He took the folder and glanced at the contents and looked up to Botan again, but she had gone. A sigh escaped his lips and he flipped through the folder before heading toward where the 'disturbance' was.

Why me? He questioned nothing.

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**Coming soon at your request: A side story on Rinay the First Spectrum Eyes. **_Was Rinay just a young laundry girl living in the palace of the Great Dog Demon of the West? Or was she something more? She wasn't demon, but everything about her screamed _non-human_. So what was Rinay? Why did her eyes swirl with color like a spectrum if she was a human? Why was everything about her completely abnormal?_


	143. Touya's Message

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I have over forty emailed messages in my inbox. Going through ten of them, most of them are basically the same, so I'd bet the other thirty-ish are about the same too. Everyone's mad because I made Kurama walk away, and because Hiei and Kuwabara were evenly matched. So, let's ream the author, right? Wrong. I have my reasons. Which I suppose I shall explain a bit of my madness thoughts to you. _(View reviews for chapter 143 if you wish to be spoiled.) _I do not own.**

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Chapter one hundred fortythree: Touya's Message

**-Elsewhere- **

Hiei glared at Touya. "We are alone. Say what you must." Hiei swore he was starting to talk too much lately. Soon he would be another bubbly drone like Botan, smiling all the time. And he would have to end his own life. Hiei wondered where Touya got the vicious looking welt on his face but did not ask.

Touya said, "This message is not to reach any other's ears, not even those you may trust. Not even your team mates." Only when Hiei nodded did he continue. "There is a rising force called the Rebellion. We have been shadowing the Queen of Spirit World since the Tournament. We did not expect anything serious to arise so soon, but our leader says the Queen has always been power hungry."

"And what does this have to do with me?" Hiei inquired, wondering if he should start bringing his sword everywhere he went. If demons like Touya had managed to get passed the Guardian, something seriously was wrong. He could feel it in his bones.

"The Queen tried to get our Lord Koenma to bend to her will, but he refused, so she replaced him in the palace." Touya finished. His fingers twitched and tiny ice particles fell from the tips of his fingers to hit the pavement with a ringing sound.

"And Koenma is...?" Hiei actually thought his heart skipped a beat. What if it wasn't Koenma who had betrayed his trust? Was it even possible? Wait a minute; he didn't have a heart, so it couldn't skip a beat! He was evil, so he didn't have to worry about anyone else at all. Was Koenma okay?

"Half dead and recovering from the wounds incurred in the fight with his mother," was the answer Hiei received.

"How long ago was this?"

Touya shrugged. "Our sources say a month or two ago, but until Koenma wakes up again to confirm it, nothing is for certain. I must go now."

Hiei watched Touya slip away and wondered if he should believe the Ice Ninja. What could Touya be up to and why would he tell Hiei that if he didn't intend to ask Hiei to join them? Certainly Hiei could be a powerful ally to either side, not that he would join or anything, just that if he were to do it, he would be an advantage to whoever he decided to help.

"Oh Hiei! You're very difficult to locate!" Botan huffed, nearly barreling into Hiei as she came to a hasty halt beside him. He looked at the woman, wondering about her. Did she know about what was going on? Was she a part of the entire scheme? Was it even true? Or was it just a ploy so that Koenma could regain Hiei's trust after breaking it along with Hiei's arm? "Here's your mission file. Yusuke's on his way. I have to find the fourth member of your team now."

Kuwabara right? Wasn't Kuwabara the fourth member? And if Botan already got Yusuke, then she should have seen Kuwabara was in the gymnasium as well. Something was off with the scene.

But now he got a real chance to put his new reading skills to use. He opened the folder and flipped through the small file before heading for the 'disturbance'. It wasn't awfully hard to find. Once he got within a block of it, he could hear sirens blaring and the sound of gunshots. The police were on the scene; try to be the heroes of the day.

Kurama was there when he arrived and he stepped up beside his tall redheaded friend. "We cannot just jump in there with the police shooting left and right." Kurama stated, seeming to realize Hiei had come upon him. "Doubtless we will get hit and wouldn't be much use then."

Hiei looked at Kurama. Not just looked. He really _inspected_ Kurama. Was Kurama a part of the plot? Was he working for or against a betrayal of the King of the Spirit World? Did he even know of the situation? Why did Touya say not to tell the other Spirit Detectives? Surely Koenma would want them all to know if it were true, wouldn't he?

Again the thought came. What if it was a ploy after all? What if Koenma was trying to regain Hiei's trust? If he was, then he was going about it the wrong way. Hiei had thought there was something off about those gold-rimmed irises. He would have to figure out this strange situation. When he did, if he felt the others should know about the situation, he would tell them.

"You guys're... already... here?" Hiei heard Yusuke pant. Yusuke was bent double, trying to catch his breath. "Where's Kuwabara?" Hiei shrugged. "Botan told me she was going to get the third and fourth members of the team together. That means Kuwabara, right?"

"It isn't like we can do very much unless a miracle freezes the police officers." Kurama stated, but just as he made that statement, the miracle he was asking for happened. The gunshots stopped and the place was deadly silent as the crowd that had gathered suddenly silenced. The area felt thick with magic. "...That..." Kurama started.

"...Was exceptionally freaky." Yusuke finished for him. All three males stared at the frozen area before deciding to get a closer look at what was being shot at. They hadn't been able to see what was going on because of the large crowd, but now they were able to slip through and see that indeed the crowd and the police officers looked like they were frozen in place.

Hiei noticed that not one person in the crowd and among the police officers had their eyes open. All of them had their eyes closed lightly as though they were asleep. Yusuke couldn't contain his curiosity for very long and he poked one of the standing police officers. The small movement made the human tip over backwards, but they were stiff as a board.

Hiei looked out into the park where they had been shooting and saw a very familiar aura out there, one that he had never in his life expected to feel again. Beside the small, petite body was the transformed beast of an Evil Eye Demon, and that was who had been shot at. Even from that distance, the three males could see red patches dying the pink fur.

"What is that?" Kurama asked, never having seen an Evil Eye Demon in its transformed state before. To him it just looked like a mess of parts that belonged to many different animals. Hiei saw the woman turning sharply. She threw a bone boomerang at them and it tore through the air dangerously. The only reason they remained alive was in the fact that they had dodged it.

"Who the fuck is that?" Yusuke demanded, rolling to his feet as the woman caught the boomerang again. Hiei wasn't about to say, 'She's my mentor from, oh, perhaps five hundred years ago give or take a few years' because that would be a little more than awkward. Why, _why_, was she there? The last he had heard of her she was in the Demon World.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	144. Marital Bliss

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I'm thinking... that the story Ryutsu and I are writing together... isn't getting enough attention. Neither is Ryutsu's stories that she writes. So go read and review them or I will cry, throw a tantrum, beat my cat (but he likes that anyway, weird kitty... and he also chases the dog around... that's a bit unnerving...) with a newspaper, and then stop uploading. Oooooh, I have threatened you! Will you call my bluff? Wait, did I say that was a bluff? I... I... I'm not bluffing, I swear it..._

**THIS IS CHAPTER GROSS! 144!  
Why do I care? Because Gross is my last name!  
AND THAT IS WHY I'M HAPPY!**_**

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Chapter one hundred fortyfour: Marital Bliss

Sango could hear Ryuichi's breath steadying. She knew he had been hit by countless of the strange spells that made him bleed from tiny holes. She was covered in his blood and now that they were in such a strange new world, it was difficult for them to adjust as it was but to adjust while being attacked was pretty near impossible.

She slung her new Hiraikotsu at the three males who were threatening to invade the little area they had and it came close to hitting them, but they were faster than the others. Isoo's weapon was dull, so even if it hit it wouldn't have sliced through them. Sango had to fix that as soon as possible, but it would still do some internal damage.

Sango leapt up to catch the boomerang again, twisting herself skillfully to throw the weapon again. She had aimed for the tall red-haired one this time, but in his trajectory path. Most of what she did and using the bone boomerang dealt with a sixth sense at where the prey would jump, and she was correct ninety-nine percent of the time.

"What—" she heard the red haired man start, his eyes widening as he saw he had leapt into the path of the boomerang instead of out of it. Sango fully expected it to hit him, but it didn't. The short one with crimson eyes—who did look slightly familiar—had jumped into the path and _caught_ the weapon; it was almost as though he knew what he was doing.

But that didn't make sense. Demons did _not_ know how to use the bone boomerang! Did they? But that didn't make sense because Ryuichi knew how to use it, and he had used it against Sango. So did everyone know how to use it? Or was it perhaps just because Ryuichi was three thousand years old that he knew how to use it?

But then even though the weapon was larger than the demon who currently was wielding it by about four inches, the fire apparition slung it straight back at Sango. She dove out of the way of it—it was moving too fast for her to catch and were she to try, she would have probably ended up tearing her arm off.

"You've got to be kidding me!" the one with brown eyes yelled as the Hiraikotsu created a crater in the ground. "Who the hell are we dealing with? Are you on their side, Hiei? Damn it, I'm all confused now! What the hell is going on here?"

Sango looked at Ryuichi who was slowly letting himself out of his transformation. "Any interests in helping me keep our asses alive?" Sango snapped at him, moving hastily to retrieve the weapon from the divot. Ryuichi snorted as he stood, holding his hand to his side where he was bleeding profusely from several wounds.

Whatever spell had been cast must have been very advanced because they embedded deep in his insides and discontinued his ability to heal himself. For Kurama though, it was very humbling to have that weapon coming straight at him. It would have done some serious damage, he was sure. But the woman looked very familiar.

And then he placed where he had seen her. The bone mask and the armor and the hair style were all very similar to the drawings that Hiei kept in his desk. Where was the connection? Did Hiei know her? And there was the issue of what kind of people they were dealing with. It was true that Kurama had to know his opponent before he could fight them.

"You seem to be doing a fine job." Ryuichi drawled, despite the fact that he was wounded and it was probably not the best time to be sarcastic. "It's always a great thing when you seem to be the only one who can't catch your choice weapon."

"Would you shut the hell up?" Sango asked him, ready to turn her weapon on him but instead she slung it at the one with black pants—at the demon who had caught it before. This time she slung it hard and fast, the only option he would have would be to dodge it. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice and he was the one who had to go first.

"I'd rather not, thanks." Ryuichi told her. "I'm enjoying our little 'conversation'." Hiei flipped back away from the weapon, kicking his foot up as his palms and fingertips came in contact with the pavement. His foot hit the center of the weapon and tilted the angle at which it would fly, so it would not return to her. Hey, it wasn't his fault she had taught him all she knew. "Well, that worked in your favor, didn't it?" Ryuichi asked innocently.

Sango was ready to bash his skull in. She unsheathed her sword as her boomerang flew directly for the one with brown eyes. "You could _help_ me!" she snarled before rolling away from the whip that sought to behead her. All this while Ryuichi just stood there! Oh the nerve of that guy! Pretending to be too injured to move, or something stupid like that!

Well, he was pretty bashed up and bleeding all over the place. She was surprised with the loss of blood he had suffered that he hadn't passed out already and wondered why the wounds were not healing. But that was all beside the point! Geez, he could at least do something other than just stand there insulting her!

"What do you want me to do? Flick my blood at them and hope it somehow slices and dices them into meat cubes?" Ryuichi snapped back at her, sitting back on the ground before he tipped over. "My dear, I don't believe that's how it works."

"Why not? Inuyasha can do it and he's younger than you by a couple thousand years!" Sango sliced her katana through the whip and was surprised to find it was plant life that made it. Furrowing her brow, she glanced at the wielder but all she saw was a normal human, and normal humans did not make weapons out of plants! "You know, your mordant invectiveness is really not necessary! It's called psychological warfare because you're supposed to use it on your enemy! Last I recall I'm your wife."

"Which leads us to the inevitable question of whether or not we really are allies, because we're thusly bonded." Ryuichi said thoughtfully. She had to admit he had a very good point. It was because of that very fact that she did want to kill him.

"We are on the same side!" Sango yelled, slashing at a strange ball of energy that was headed her way. It melted her sword and made it useless so she threw the inept weapon down since it would do her no good anyway and flipped out of the way of the second oncoming ball. They were very fast moving balls of energy, almost like spiritual energy, only formed more destructively. "You could give me a little encouragement if you're not going to help!"

"You mean like saying 'You're doing a very good job. Keep up the good work.' Something like that?"

"Yes, something like that." Sango reached to her belt and pulled one of her poison balls from it, whipping it at the wielder of the energy balls where it exploded on his left shoulder and emitted a sleeping powder that would be inhaled—hopefully.

Ryuichi grinned in spite of his pain and said, "You're doing well enough, even if I could have had them all incapacitated by now." He just had to insert the insult, didn't he?

"Fine then!" Sango said, and ducked the whip again. "By all means, incapacitate them!"

"I don't really feel like it right now. Incase you haven't noticed, dear, I'm wounded."

"I'll wound _you_." Sango muttered, not expecting to be heard. Well, luck was against her and she was heard.

"You might not want to do that. I would probably enjoy that too much. After three thousand years, all that power goes to your head, you know." He stood and limped over to her side, still as bare as the day he was born.

"Oh, come on, Ryuichi!" Sango snapped at him. "You haven't even gotten dressed yet? Don't torture these poor people with your unsightly body. You'll burn holes in their eyes! Dear heavens put on some clothes!" Yusuke was beginning to feel sleepy.

"That's not what you were saying about my body when you slept with me." Ryuichi pointed out. "I can think of several things you said that were quite the opposite. And the way you said my name... mm, yes, I could go for hearing that again."

"Ryuichi!" Sango swooped down and picked up a rock, about to fling it at his head, but he caught her wrist instead.

The pink haired demon grabbed her chin, planting a kiss on her lips. "I suppose that will do for now. Ah yes, it is so difficult to be as good as I am sometimes." Sango dug her nail in his wounds and he groaned, doubling over in pain. "Did you have to do that?"

"Yes," she stated, "I did." She was surprised to hear him chuckling after that. "Why are you laughing?"

"That would be the woman I fell in love with." She froze in her steps. Did he say the 'L' word?

At the other end of the park, Yusuke was feeling rather tipsy. He stumbled over to Hiei and Kurama and asked the two, "Do they realize we're still here?"

"They're not a threat," Hiei stated firmly.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	145. BloodCrest Curse

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Iritwi, please don't feel sheepish! I know it irritated you, and I understand how you felt. But I believe Kurama has a more ruthless and brutal side to him and that needs to be portrayed. You're not the only one who feels ticked at me for that. I am _still_ receiving emails telling me how stupid I am for doing that, and how unlikely it is for Kurama to just walk away like that. I'm also receiving emails telling me how stupid I am for making Kuwabara intelligent, but eh... I wonder what people will do when they see that I will soon be posting a Kuwabara/Kagome story... Eeesh, things may get ugly. Anyway, I don't own, and thanks for all your support Iritwi! I look forward to your reviews at each chapter, so please do continue to give me your input whether or not I will like what you say._

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Chapter one hundred fortyfive: Blood-Crest Curse

**-Elsewhere- **

Kagome gasped as she stared up at the large estate that her chauffeur-slash-butler-slash-accountant was driving her to. The driveway was entirely too long and she swore there had to be more buildings to the estate than she was seeing. As far as she could see, the building was shaped like a "u", the open middle facing the front gate of the property.

She nearly choked on air when she realized that not only did she recognize the place, it was very near an exact replica of Ka's mansion, except the colors were not inverted. She couldn't believe Sesshoumaru had spent so much money on her—or the fact that there was this much open area in Tokyo!

She turned her head to look at the car seat that Akari Dekage was strapped in just to be sure that Akari was still there. She didn't know why she felt she needed that assurance, but she did. Seeing that Akari was still there happily giggling and reaching for an imaginary thing just out of her reach, she turned to again gaze up at the large house.

She would get lost in there; this was without a doubt. If she had gotten lost in Yusuke's apartment several times, this house would be near impossible to navigate. She couldn't believe it. Unbuckling, she moved to the other side of the limousine, still unable to believe that she was riding in one. She tapped on the glass that separated her and the driver and slowly it went down.

When it was down, she asked, " Chu?"

"Bless you." He said, driving up the long driveway toward the turn around ahead.

"No, I didn't sneeze. I thought that was your name." Kagome blushed. What if it wasn't his name? Oh, she would be so embarrassed if it wasn't! And if it wasn't, then what was it and why did Sesshoumaru call him " Chu" over the phone? She was so confused at the moment—not that she would want to admit it though.

"Oh, yes, Mrs. Higurashi. Chu's my name." He looked at her in the rear-view mirror. The markings still puzzled him and the fact that she seemed to just be an ordinary girl, yet Sesshoumaru had bought a mansion for her not in the human world but in the demon world seemed odd. "Was there something you needed?"

"Yes. Is this really my house?" she couldn't believe that Sesshoumaru would get her such a large house and still be able to say it was a baby shower gift. Most people got someone a toaster. Kagome's mother had gotten a toaster oven for a baby shower gift for Kagome and a one hundred dollar gift card for the appliances place nearby.

No one bought someone a house worth probably millions of dollars on its own without the expansive property that came along with it. Of course, not very many people could also casually suggest throwing fifty million dollars at another, so she supposed it must be true. Sesshoumaru didn't seem like one to do something small when he could make a bang.

"Yeah. I'll drive you to wherever you need to go from here." Kagome didn't hear anything else—that is to say if he said anything else she didn't know of it. She felt a sudden jolt in her neck that made her sick to her stomach. Her vision and hearing seemed to fade temporarily and it felt as though something was scratching at the inside of her throat, tearing away at the tissue and trying to free itself from its confines.

She coughed slightly, trying to breathe properly, but it wasn't working. She didn't know when it happened, but at some point in time she lost consciousness and when she woke up, she was in a ridiculously large bed that she couldn't recall falling asleep in. Something on her neck itched and when she scratched, she found two peculiar bumps there, like bug bites.

"Are you feeling alright?" Chu asked her. She looked over to Chu, feeling a bit groggy. She was still in the clothes she had worn to school, but the heavy blankets covered her. Chu was pulling the rail to the crib up and from what Kagome could tell Akari Dekage was inside that bed. Kagome thought the room she was in was entirely too large for her.

Kagome smiled and nodded, even though she felt like she had a fever. She would just have to find where Chu had put the herbs and poisons she had from the past and once she found them she wouldn't have to worry about being unhealthy. "Yes, thank you." She said, her throat a bit scratchy, though she had no idea why.

"You passed out on me there. I was kind of worried." Kagome's spectrum eyes searched Chu's face for any sign that he wasn't telling the truth. She smiled when she saw none. She saw only genuine concern in his eyes, though she was not stupid. She knew the concern was only for the mother of a baby, not for Kagome in person.

"Thank you, Chu. I appreciate your help." Chu nodded and left and Kagome moved to stand up. As the door closed, her feet hit the bare stone floor and she made a mental note that she would have to buy a rug for it. Her shoes and socks were off, but her school clothes were on. She kept that in mind. Chu had made her mostly comfortable it seemed, while remaining decent.

But then she felt the blood rushing to her head and dizziness take hold. She nearly fell again, and would have if it weren't for the bed poster that jutted into the air, holding up the canopy. "Oh..." she moaned, holding her head. "What is happening to me?"

Memories flashed in her mind of a blond woman biting into her neck. There was immense pain. A pink haired demon and a great fall from a cliff... then she remembered waking up to see three blue haired demons and blood... drowning in water...

She looked around and felt like she was looking through the eyes of a fish. Everything was strange to her. She burned with hunger. Her throat was parched. Her stomach demanded food. She saw the door that Chu had left out of and her footsteps took her toward it but once she got out of it, she didn't know which way Chu had gone.

But as quickly as it came, the strange feeling left her and she felt normal again. She felt as though her fever had gone away and all her pain dissipated. She felt like she was floating on a cloud of ease. One look out the window told her it was raining, and she wanted to dance in it. She wondered how long she had been out—it had only been twenty minutes but she didn't know that—for it to have started raining. The sky had been sunny when she came.

She could hear Akari crying though, and that changed her mind. She instead went to take care of Akari, to feed and change her.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	146. The Fourth SD

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I guess you people don't care for this story anymore since there is a severe lack in reviewage. If I don't start getting reviews, I _will_ take it off the internet and just send it to those who actually care through email. It's not awefully hard to push the damn review button and say "yay! another review! more soon!" Psh. I don't own anything except my multitude of plots. **

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Chapter one hundred fortysix: The Fourth S.D.

**-Elsewhere- **

Botan looked at Keiko with a serious expression on her face as she said, "Lord Koenma wants the others to know. With his recent high temper, are you sure you want to disobey him?" Botan was worried for the other girl. When Botan had come upon the girl, she had been being beaten by a large and muscular male who claimed to be her mother's boyfriend.

That didn't settle with Botan at all. To see a woman so abused was nothing that the Lady Death would permit and justice had to be dealt out. Botan had been about to take his soul from his body and destroy it with no chance of reincarnation, but Keiko had stopped her from doing that. Botan had not expected that move to come about.

Humans were vengeful and Keiko was no exception, but Keiko didn't think what he had done deserved death. So Botan had instead just taken Keiko away from there. It wasn't at all pleasant for Botan not to be able to serve out justice and even then, an hour after the event, Botan was still fuming about what she had seen.

The bruises littered Keiko's body as though her skin were a blue-purple color all the time instead of a light tan. Her eyes were puffy and there were cuts all over her body from being slammed repeatedly into harsh and unforgiving inanimate objects. "Then he can tell Yusuke." Keiko whispered her voice a bit rough around the edges.

"What ever happened between you and Yusuke anyway? I mean, if I can ask." Botan helped Keiko back up onto the oar and Keiko removed her magic from the atmosphere around the small park that the Spirit Detectives and the two strangers were in. The magic's aftermath would remain for about thirty seconds before the crowd began waking from their forced sleep.

Keiko winced. She was bruised _down-there_ from certain happenings that morning and the man seemed to derive pleasure from being coarse. It wasn't to Keiko's benefit that she had always pictured Yusuke to be her first. "Yusuke and I were not meant for each other." Keiko said quietly. "Beside that... I don't want him to see me as I am now."

Botan nodded and wrapped her arm around Keiko's shoulder. "Everything will be okay though. I'll see about getting you a place to live away from that monster. You shouldn't have to go through that."

Botan was surprised to see Keiko shake her head. "I'm a Spirit Detective now. I shouldn't run from my problems. What that would make me is a coward."

"Keiko, you don't deserve what that man gave you."

"Neither did Yusuke deserve all I gave him, but he put up with it." Keiko insisted. Botan continued to try reasoning with her.

**-Two Days Later- **

It had been two days since she had seen Yusuke and it was getting on her nerves. Aside from that, upon looking in the mirror she saw there was a red bite mark on her neck that wouldn't go away. It itched constantly and burned at intervals. She had gone to school those two days, and everyone was there who needed to be—except her cousin was conveniently missing!

Oh, when she found him he would certainly get a piece of her mind! That was ridiculous! All she knew was that "work called him in", but work shouldn't interfere with school! After she had thought that, she nearly tipped over out of shock, realizing that _her_ work interfered with _her_ schooling. "Oh, Akari Dekage, what has that cousin of mine gotten himself into?" Kagome asked her feeding baby.

Chu knocked on the door and entered the room she was in. The house really was a near exact replica of Ka's mansion, which did make it slightly easier for Kagome to navigate, though the only places she went to was the study, her bedroom—which was the master bedroom and still too large in her opinion, and the kitchen. "Mrs. Higurashi?" Chu called.

Kagome didn't bother to try correcting him anymore. She had tried the first day, but he insisted on calling her "Mrs." so she gave up. "The door is open Chu." Kagome called, pulling Akari from her breast gently and tugging down her bra and shirt. She burped the sleepy baby while Chu entered the bedroom and carried a tray of food over to the night stand. "Thanks, Chu."

"Anything else I can get you? Otherwise if not, I was hoping to go meet a buddy of mine." Kagome shook her head that she had nothing else she needed. "Well, okay then. I won't be long anyway." As he left, Kagome thanked him and Akari burped. She felt the warm spit-up on her back and realized she never put a towel down.

"Oh, Akari." She sighed. "Being a mommy is hard." And it was. Akari demanded attention and Kagome wasn't always sure she was giving Akari the right attention. She wanted her child to grow up happy and healthy, not malicious like Ka had been. It was nerve wracking to think that her baby might end up like Ka.

Akari didn't respond. She was sleeping peacefully and so Kagome changed her diaper and placed her in the crib. Only when Kagome was sure that Akari would be alright did she move toward the bathroom connected to the master bedroom and start running a bath in the giant tub. Her muscles ached and her arms felt like jelly from holding Akari so long.

The only consolation she really had was in the fact that there were mothers out there who were struggling more than she was to keep going. They had jobs and no one to watch their baby while they did it. Kagome had teachers who happily helped her watch Akari when she needed the help. She had friends and family who encouraged her, and apparently millions of dollars and a giant mansion to live in.

Others didn't have all that, so she didn't have anything to complain about really. So as she soaked in her bath with the door left open so she could hear if Akari needed her, she thought about what she could do to better those women's lives. After all, it wasn't like she had any other immediate obligations to handle, considering the well was sealed still and she was no where near able to remove that seal.

Aside from that, Sesshoumaru didn't seem like he was going to pressure her to go back, even though she knew that he knew that she didn't complete the jewel yet. In fact, he seemed more willing to just spend time with her. He was coming to visit her that afternoon and he said he'd try to get Rei to come as well.

Kagome hoped she could keep her promise to him and free Seirra from Rei. Whoever the woman was that trapped Seirra was clearly not a very nice one; Kagome knew she didn't want to meet her ever. She thought the likelihood of her meeting this woman was probably slim-to-none. When she got out of the bath she went to her closet and began looking over things to wear, deciding on the last outfit that Ryuichi had given her before she was torn away from the past by the well.

**-Elsewhere- **

"How much sleep powder did you use?" Ryuichi asked Sango, poking the unconscious boy's body. "It has been two sunset's already and he has yet to awake." Sango snorted into the drink provided her by Kurama, but other than that she gave no response. She wasn't talking to Ryuichi because she was still upset at him for not helping her out in the skirmish when they first arrived in the strange new world that Kagome lived in.

Hiei wanted to smack his head against a wall, but didn't because that would hurt with his Evil Eye in the middle of his forehead. Yusuke was on his bed sleeping off the effects of a sleeping poison, Ryuichi was poking said sleeping person, Sango was sitting at his island counter-slash-table, and Kurama was in his kitchen making "tea" for everyone. He was tempted to snap at Kurama and ask if he would make crumpets to go with it, but held it in.

His patience had never been this tried in a long time. Not only that was the problem but Sango and Ryuichi were acting like idiots. When Ryuichi saw the toilet flush, he had attacked it like it was some sort of demon, and so Hiei had to replace yet another toilet. When Sango saw the toast popping out of the toaster, she had tossed a poison shell at it and the poison melted the entire counter top and the toaster.

Just more things that Hiei's already crummy apartment needed fixed. He had been hoping to repaint the apartment walls so he didn't have to look at peeling wallpaper every night when he entered it, but now he wasn't so sure he wanted to waste the expense. He swore much longer with these people and he would go mad.

And then aside from that fact, Ryuichi had broken his desk chair into fire wood and tried to start a fire in the middle of his living room so that he could make himself food. Hiei was almost tempted to cry at the injustice of being housed with morons. After the attack on his toilet and toaster, Hiei had unplugged his phone so he wouldn't have to worry about it ringing and freaking the two out.

Whatever had happened to the two? They had all these amenities in the Demon World! Ryuichi and Sango lived in the demon world and... Ugh, he was so damn confused! Did the Guardian give them passage to the Human World? If so, what for? Why were they freaking him out, or was that just him? Kurama seemed completely cool with the acid burned cupboard next to him.

And Yusuke...? Well, he just was out completely... Taking up Hiei's bed. Stinking it up like he owned it. When he really didn't. And then there was the whole issue with Touya and wondering if the Ice Ninja was telling the truth about Koenma not being Koenma but really being some other guy who was pretending to be Koenma...

Hiei's head fell forward and his Evil Eye came in painful contact with the counter top, which did not please him at all. "Fuck!" he swore. He wanted to kick something. Hurt something. Could he do it to his next-door neighbors? They were blaring the music again! Ryuichi looked tense like he was about to jump through the wall and attack whatever made that noise. Can I cry now? he asked himself, receiving no answer.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	147. Six Months

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Continue reviewing and show me that you're interested. I will stop posting and remove the story if I feel it is not getting enough reviews. You can't tell me that you have nothing to comment on out of 1,000 words. I own the story, but not the series that it bases off of. __**

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Chapter one hundred fortyseven: Six Months

**-Elsewhere- **

More days had gone by than she could count. The hours and the minutes blended with each other and as they passed, she found herself wondering up from down. Yusuke remained missing and she could no longer tell for certain how many days it had been since she had seen him, but neither could she tell how many days since she had seen _anyone_ other than Chu, Akari, and Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru stopped by often enough. He ate dinner with her and gave her private lessons on how to play the violin. He had taken over the duty of home-schooling her because Akari was too demanding to take anywhere. And Akari was growing quickly—or maybe that had to do with the strange passage of time that so puzzled her?

She did miss Yusuke, and she missed Kurama and Keiko and the nameless boy…heck, she even missed Yusuke's friend Kuwabara, and she hardly knew him! She really hadn't talked to him all that much, but he seemed like a nice guy. From what she knew of him from Yusuke and Keiko, he had a strict honor code that wouldn't allow him to hit a girl even if she hit him first.

She had gotten pretty good at the violin, in her own opinion, and soon she had passed the sixth month mark since Akari's birth. She was half a year old, and starting to crawl already. The present from Keiko had been a life-saver. It was an advice book written by mothers. Usually she figured out the problem before she had to pick up the book, but a few times in those six months she had needed it's "consult".

Sesshoumaru had never brought Rei that first night. She had "other" obligations she had to take care of and so couldn't go to dinner with a married man and his sister. Kagome felt she was becoming better and better at the mothering situation, and with no insults from anyone she came into contact with, there was nothing to drag her confidence down.

Akari Dekage certainly was benefiting from Kagome's happiness. Despite being secluded and never leaving her mansion for pretty much anything, Kagome found endless things to do. She tried to get Akari to say "mommy" but all the little child managed was "bvmm", which was pretty close, Kagome was sure.

"Mrs. Higurashi? Is there anything you'll need from the store? I was going to go there." Chu asked her. Chu was also a big help for Kagome. He made it possible for Kagome to never have to leave the house. He shopped and cooked for her—he was an excellent cook and made a stir-fry that was to-die-for—and never complained. She had thought about giving him a pay-raise, but wasn't sure if he was in her employ or Sesshoumaru's.

"Akari is almost out of diapers, so if you could pick up some for her, I would be very appreciative." Kagome smiled at him. He really was a great guy. Underneath the candy cap was a blue Mohawk and he usually had a slightly bristly chin. Every couple days he would leave the mansion to go spend a few hours with one of his buddies and Kagome had made it clear that she didn't mind him leaving.

A few hours by herself was nothing. She enjoyed that time with Akari, reading her daughter books even though she was too little to understand. She took baths and at the same time that she took a bath, she gave Akari one. She had a balcony off her bedroom that she would dance on when it was raining, but only if Akari wasn't in need of some immediate attention.

And through all this time, she had never felt happier to be free of the cruelty of burden. Even though she had more homework from Sesshoumaru than she would ever have had from teachers in school, and she had a six month old daughter on top of all the work she had set herself to doing such as teaching herself to be a priestess (which by the way, she was sure she would never make it back to the past).

Akari Dekage and Kagome had made it through their very first winter together in those six months as well. She had gotten over her infatuation with Sesshoumaru—or at least she was sure she had anyway—and she had learned through reading a shrine-girl book that Sesshoumaru was only treating her like he would any female sibling.

It had been a hard fact to stomach, at first, but gradually she grew used to it and it had become the normal. His hugs and …odd… ministrations seemed to become less intimate seeming and friendlier instead.

"Was there anything else I can get you?" Chu inquired as Kagome got up from where she and Akari were on the bed to go over to where she had left her backpack. She took the wallet that Sesshoumaru had given her out and tossed it to Chu, who caught it easily. In it was Kagome's bank card, also given to her by Sesshoumaru so she could access her money, and being the trusting person she was, she knew Chu wouldn't try ripping her off.

Clearly Sesshoumaru wouldn't like that if he did anyway. Chu was an honest enough person. He enjoyed gardening—he had, with Kagome's permission, dug a giant garden and planted vegetables in it as soon as he could once the winter had passed. He also enjoyed cooking and drinking, though he was exceptionally careful not to get drunk. She wondered why…

Chu had seen the shards also, and to Kagome's surprise, he had been disinterested in them. The very sight of the shards brought out the best or the worst in a person, but it had brought about no change in Chu. She couldn't understand why.

Chu was also very good with kids, she had soon found out. He had explained that he always wanted a kid, but he had never found the "right" girl. "Yes, Akari is almost out of baby food too, so if you could pick up a variety of the mashed baby food in a jar, I would also be very appreciative."

Five months was the joyful month that the book had recommended starting Akari on food. She had been hesitant, but Akari had taken a liking to it. "Bvmm!" Akari mumbled, making bubbles with her lips as she crawled around on the enormous bed. Kagome swore the bed was larger than a King sized bed.

"Right. Well, then I'll go get that for you." Kagome nodded and returned to the bed, sprawling out beside her baby. Akari didn't really crawl yet, more like she army crawled than actually picking herself up and moving around on hands and knees. She was still smaller than the average baby, but she had been born early, so it was to be expected.

Kagome lay there watching Akari Dekage for the longest time. She was a beautiful baby that Kagome wasn't sure she could live without. Kagome would rather die than lose Akari.

So much time had gone by that Kagome had learned to ignore the dizzy spells she got every couple weeks, chalking it off to stress. The bug bites on her neck had disappeared, much to her pleasure, and her schooling was going rather well. Sesshoumaru had told her that she should be caught up by the next winter if she worked really hard at it.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	148. Endless Torture

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: This chapter is severely edited so that the story can remain "T" rated. The actual chapter I have written in the notebook would be rated even higher than "M" because of the gruesome details with which I had gone into. In the original chapter, he suffered a lot more than he is suffering now. I do not want to hear complaints about needing to up the rating because of this chapter. I carefully inspected the guidelines and specifically editted this chapter to suit the rating. If this story is removed because someone thinks it is too graphic, I will not repost an "editted" version. If you wanted a happy story, you would not be reading my work. My track record shows I like to give the characters I use a bit of hell before they get their happily-ever-after in most cases. But just in case I will post a warning. Heed the warning I have posted, have a great day, and know that I don't own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho._

**WARNING: Chapter contains more violence than usual.**

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Chapter one hundred fortyeight: Endless Torture

**-Spirit World- **

Yusuke breathed heavily through a broken nose that was definitely healing wrong. Didn't anyone notice he was missing? Didn't anyone care that he was gone? He had thought that Kagome would try to find him at least, but he supposed even if she were looking he shouldn't expect too much. He had never told her about the Spirit World so she wouldn't think of looking in another seeming universe.

He should never have questioned Koenma. In an ordinary job, questioning his employer would have been grounds for dismissal, but as he had always known, his job was far from ordinary. Instead, questioning his employer's motives had been grounds for imprisonment. He had been strapped to a torture rack.

He didn't even want to think of all the things he had been through the past six months. Time had blended so that he didn't know how long he had been in the dungeon-like jail. There were no windows to see through, and nothing to gauge time. He sat curled up in a corner of the dingy cell, wondering what was going on and why a simple question had become the base reason of his punishment.

As he lay there, he wondered if it would have been half as bad if Yusuke had actually seen Koenma's face when he gave the order for him to be tortured. Maybe Koenma didn't _want_ to do it, but he had to? He was trying to convince himself it was true, but so far he couldn't manage it. The voice that had ordered his demise had not been one that cared for regrets.

And Yusuke had brought himself into this creature's employ. Never before had he regretted saving that little boy's life—even if the boy would have survived—but now he was feeling that regret and he wished it would go away. He should have left the boy to be hit. His life would have been so much simpler. He could have gone on his merry way, ignorant of demons, never having to save the world from crazy people who wanted to rule it.

Tears streamed down his bruised face as the demons came back to drag him to the torture chamber. He cringed away from them, but he was already as far into the wall as he could get. He should never have gone to speak with Koenma as soon as the sleeping powder wore off and the situation was explained to him.

He should never have left the safety of Hiei's home. He had never thought he would think of Hiei's home as safe, but it was. In it had been Hiei and Kurama, both who Yusuke had at one time been sure he would die for if the occasion were to arise. But now with their lack of appearance to save their supposed "friend", Yusuke bitterly thought he would kill them himself if he could manage it.

As the harsh and calloused hands grabbed him, dragging him up, he struggled. There had been a time when he would have scoffed at the very thought of him begging for anything, but the words tumbled forth out of his puffy lips. "N-no! P-p-please, no!" he cried as he watched the all-to-familiar passageways go by.

There was a light at the end of the hall, but it wasn't nirvana. It was the crackling torchlight, as electricity had not been dug so deep into the dungeon. The light of the torch shone on several pieces of old equipment, generally used to torture people. They strapped him to a table and pulled a hot, thin bar of iron from a kiln, placing it on his bare skin.

He was naked as the day he was born. There was no need for clothes in a dungeon as thus. "Ahhh!" he screamed, his voice echoing back at him and causing him much mental damage—more mental damage than the heated metal did while burning his skin. To know that his voice would come back with no savior behind it...

These men who tortured him never listened to any of his cries. They enjoyed what they did. Who would have thought that they'd get the chance to freely abuse and torture Yusuke Urameshi with no chance of him tapping his life energy to stop the pain? That was what the band around his neck was for: it suppressed his destructive energies.

"Stop!" Yusuke begged. An end to the pain was all he desired, but was proving to be the one wish he was not about to receive. "I'm begging you, stop!" No words were uttered from the lips of the demons that repeatedly burned him. There was no indication that the demons had even heard Yusuke begging for an end to the pain.

It seemed like it had been a thousand years before they un-strapped him and took him back to the cell, tossing him in like a used rag. He whimpered, tears streaming down his face and his voice raspy from screaming. He crawled over to his corner of the cell, the many burns agony to him.

"Please..." he sobbed to the unresponsive wall. "Please just let me die..." But even as he begged this, he felt something hard hit him and looked to see food had been thrown into the cell. Crusty bread to go with the five gallon pail of waste mixed with water.

Yusuke knew he would probably die anyway, and he didn't know why he did it, but he still tried to down the bread and he still drank the water even though it would likely house the disease dysentery.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	149. Zeru's Mercy

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: This chapter took longer to type up than my normal time because I did not want to write it. However, it is a vital chapter that needed to be done. I do not own very much._

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Chapter one hundred fortynine: Zeru's Mercy

**-Spirit World- **

Chains held him in place. Spread eagle on the floor, his clothes mere ashes as his elements seethed and licked out away from him, he knew only pain. They did not have to carry him daily to the torture chamber. They let him slowly kill himself. Six months was a long time of pain and agony and he no longer had a voice with which to scream.

There were manacles around both his ankles and wrists, with short six link chains connected to the floor so that he couldn't slit his wrists to end the pain early. He was to suffer for not getting the amulet for Koenma. How was he supposed to get an amulet when there was not even the slightest hint to where it would be?

The riddle was missing and because of it, he dealt with what was punishment for him. The reason a telepath could not enter his mind was not because of the Jagan, but because of his elements. A telepath would be killed upon entrance into his mind, both burned and iced by the backlash. He was sustained through the help of a master of fire: Zeru.

Zeru was the only one in the immediate vicinity that could handle the burning atmosphere of aura so he was given the job of keeping Hiei fed and watered. The chains would have melted off if there had been no spell to ward against that very notion. The walls around Hiei, made of stone, were being pummeled by the fire. They crumbled and melted into pools of odd lava, soaking the floor around him like a halo.

All he knew was agony and no hope for reprieve. Why was he being bashed by his elements when he had control over his elements for over five hundred years? Because they had removed the Evil Eye that created his balance. There was nothing more excruciating than every inch of what created him warring for dominance.

His body was in a constant state of paroxysm, convulsing beyond any reasonable means. If one side of him won, the other would die and he would be left to die. Even Zeru, one who had opposed Hiei in the Dark Tournament and lost to the Dark Dragon, felt an emotion at seeing the piteous sight.

But he could do nothing for the demon on the ground. Even if Hiei was free from the chains that bound him, his emotions would continue trying to achieve dominance and then not only would Hiei be a danger to himself, but after nearly six months of this torture, he would have nearly lost his mind and he would be a danger to anyone who crossed his path.

But this time, Zeru had not come down with food to sustain the fire apparition. This time he had come down with a dagger. As his feet landed on the platform just before the door that entered the very lowest part of the dungeon, he slid the dagger out of the sheath. It was mercy which he would bestow. He couldn't give Hiei life back, but he could give Hiei a swift death.

**-Human World- **

Kurama slid through the shadows of the streets. It hadn't taken long to locate the holder of the amulet, but coming up with a flawless plan that wouldn't have any chance of a backfire was the difficult part. Koenma's orders had been to retrieve the amulet without fail. Kurama had been distracted lately because of Kagome, Hiei, and Yusuke's disappearances, but Koenma had made it clear that failure was not an option.

He had planned this encounter five months before, shortly after receiving the mission. And now he was about to carry out the mission and steal the amulet. It had been a long time since he had put his skills to practice and even then he felt exhilarated just slinking about the streets of Tokyo toward the apartment complex the amulet's owner lived in.

He had pored over maps of these streets so much that his mother had asked what his interest was in them. He had told her he was searching for which route to the college would be quickest and though she looked suspicious, she had nodded her acceptance. At the time he hadn't cared much if she was interested, but now as he frowned up at the apartment complex, he wondered if he should have been more careful.

He had observed the owner carefully, marking out when he left and when he was home. The owner would be home now, but his children would not. Kurama did not want fatalities, but if the owner did not give up the amulet, there would be. He didn't want to have to kill the children as well, which was why he made sure to choose a day when they would be gone.

And now as he reached out to pick the lock on the apartment, expecting the owner to be asleep, the door opened. He was surprised as he stared into the face of the teacher who owned it. This wasn't how he had planned their meeting to go. He had planned on waking him up, but that wasn't how it was to be.

"Hello, Shuichi." Mr. Akira said quietly, stepping aside as though to allow Kurama to enter. "I was wondering when you would arrive."

Kurama stood there, confused beyond mentionable words. In his stomach he had the fleeting feeling of being cheated. He had wanted to enjoy the thrill of stealing again. He knew it was a trap right then and there, but he couldn't help but enter the apartment. It couldn't be anything other than a trap, could it?

Had Koenma sent him to his death? He didn't know if that was even possible. "Would you like some milk, Shuichi? Or a soda?" Mr. Akira asked as he closed the door behind Kurama's entrance. Kurama shook his head, even though his mouth was suddenly dry and water wouldn't have been too bad of an idea. "Suit yourself."

"You..." Kurama was at a loss for words. How did one explain their confusion that they had been greeted at the door by someone as though they had knocked, when clearly they hadn't? But maybe Kurama had knocked, just couldn't remember it... Impossible. Kurama never forgot anything. Or, at least he couldn't remember a time he may or may not have forgotten anything anyway.

"Knew you were coming?" Mr. Akira chuckled. "Of course I did. But don't worry. No one else would have. I just had a timeline that told me you would arrive soon." Mr. Akira leaned against his counter top. "Now... about the amulet you came for. I don't have it, and you won't find it. A telepath could search my mind and they would not find me knowing where it is." Kurama frowned. Koenma would not be pleased. He had specifically said he would not accept failure.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	150. Dungeon Dream

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I have deviated from my notebooks, so from here on out the chapters will not be known ahead of time. I'm typing from scratch now instead of what is on the notebooks. I hope you like this chapter. I know I did. View important message at bottom. I do not own._

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Chapter one hundred fifty: Dungeon Dream

**-Kagome's Dreamscape- **

She was walking down the same dark and drafty halls as she had for the past six months in her dreams. She usually woke up before she got close enough to the barred wall at the end of the hall in order to see into it. She saw the same things every night from the frightening torture chamber filled with the stench of blood and decaying flesh to the people who walked around.

But that night she completely ignored the torture chamber and continued on down the hall. She saw a stairway leading down, but this time she didn't pass it to continue down the hall. The instant she stepped onto the cold stone, her bare foot slapping it with an echoing ring, she saw a man at the bottom of them unsheathing a dagger.

She did not bother trying to talk to him. No one ever heard her when she called out before, and clearly he hadn't heard her foot hitting the pavement, so she just descended the stairs to the platform to stand beside him as he opened the door that was at the bottom of the stairs. She had seen people in her dreams before as she walked down the halls, so at least it wasn't out of the ordinary.

The instant the door opened, Kagome was flooded with emotions. Sadness, grief, pain, desolation, anger, betrayal, and loneliness were among the most prominent. She followed the man down the corridor toward where the emotions were coming from, watching the man skirt around the liquid she was walking in.

Looking at her feet, she was marveled by the way her footsteps in the liquid made strange rainbow colors while everywhere else looked red-hot. She heard whimpering and looked away from the liquid toward the barred cell that housed the source of it. There was a man lying on the ground in there and she blushed to see that he was completely naked.

Kagome couldn't completely ignore the fact that she had never seen a completely naked man before in all her days and she was wondering how her mind had conjured up such detail to his personals area. He lacked hair everywhere on his body and she smelled the stench of decaying flesh. She wanted to vomit at the disgusting odor of burned hair and fingernails.

Her mind was playing games with her, she was sure, but as she looked at the man she saw he was suffering and she wanted to help bring an end to it. She looked at the man she had followed, watching as he walked over to the dark figure on the floor. She couldn't see their face because it was lost in shadow.

It was almost instantly clear to Kagome what this strange man was going to do to the other and even though she knew it was a dream, she could not bring herself to allow that mercy stroke to be taken just yet. In the hope that she would get her message across to the man with the dagger, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

He looked around, looking directly at her without seeing her, yet his hand paused and Kagome knelt down beside the suffering man, nearly choking on her surprise. Her mind had conjured up Hiei, her nameless friend, to be the one in pain. She reached out and placed her hands on either side of Hiei's temples, wishing he had hair because she had liked him better that way.

She could see the empty hole in his forehead and saw it was festering with infection, wondering how he could possibly have survived so long with such a gap so close to his brain, but she cast these thoughts aside and searched inside of her for that ball of power. It was so much easier to mold in her dreams than in real life, she mused.

As she concentrated on Hiei and on molding her power to heal him, she saw in her minds eye the problem. Inside of him a battle was raging between the elements Ice and Fire and neither side wanted to give up. She molded her power around his neck, forming it the only way she knew how: the form of a rosary.

The rosary took shape and slowly the battle was eased and he was quick to become unconscious. She still had to do something about the infection he was dealing with and so she once more sought out her power and bent it to her will. She healed the infection even while wondering what had become of the eye she knew had resided in that chasm at one point in time.

When he was free of infection, she watched the man look at Hiei with confusion because suddenly the suffering man seemed no longer to be pained. Kagome turned back to Hiei and decided it was time he be more comfortable. After all, it was her dream and she would do what she pleased.

She didn't think the manacles would be very comfortable, so she bent her power to their destruction. She didn't think lying on the cold hard floor would be comfortable, so she decided he would be more comfortable in her giant bed and nearly instantly they were there and the strange man and his dagger were no where in sight.

She tucked him in, oblivious to the fact that he remained naked—really, it was just a dream, right?—and then climbed in her bed on the other side. It was a dream, so she knew she wouldn't be falling asleep, but it was nice to be able to lie down.

**-Human World- **

When Hiei awoke, he was surprised to find he could actually think coherently without the object of pain in the way. He didn't know why this was because he could feel the Jagan was still gone. Looking around him, he felt his face turn red with a blush so deep it would put the ripest tomato to shame.

He was naked... in bed... with Kagome... He thanked any god that would listen that she was still dressed for the most part in a pair of comfort shorts and a tank top which he guessed was her form of bed clothes, but there was still much of her skin touching his skin. Her silky smooth legs rubbed against his and he could feel her breasts pressing against his ribs.

She was snuggled up against him as though she belonged there! Which might or might not have been a good thing, but still! He was naked in what he assumed to be her bed, which he couldn't believe to be a good think at all. He would have tried slipping away, but she also had a death grip on him like he was a teddy bear.

Which brought him back to his initial thoughts on humans—female ones in particular: they were very annoying. Especially when they were asleep. He would have groaned if he had a voice when her knee rubbed unconsciously against his personals, but then again he didn't have a voice because he had spent six months screaming in pain, so he settled for glaring at the woman.

Did she know what she was doing to him? Did _he_ know what she was doing to him? No, obviously not because he had all these newfound emotions surging through him—all of which were indescribable—and he didn't know what to do about them. Something told him to shake her away from him, but another something told him to just let her do it.

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**Two things: **

**1.) I refuse to upload unless I get 10 reviews on the latest chapter uploaded. I have no problem keeping this story to myself. Thank you those who review. The rest of you get your arses in gear and start reviewing on something. Consider this fanfiction discontinued until I have 10 reviews on the latest chapter. I don't care if I have to wait 6 months to get them. It doesn't bother me at all. _Flame me if you want to, but flames won't count toward the 10 reviews, and they won't change my mind_. The ONLY reason I am posting on hereis because I want feedback. If I didn't want feedback, don't you think I'd just keep it to myself?**

**2.) If we get to chapter 155, I will do another of those review acknowledgements. It will cover chapters 101-150.**


	151. Crying Is For Babies

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: The next person who emails me just to harrass me about my refusal to post a chapter without 10 reviews will be at fault for the removal of ALL of my stories. Have a nice day, and I don't own. _

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Chapter one hundred fiftyone: Crying Is For Babies... So Shut Up.

His first instinct was to kill her for what she was doing to him. It was too much like what the bandits had done to so many women, including the woman he considered a mother. But reason and logic kicked in and he realized she wasn't continuing to do it.

She had moved her leg once and it merely brushed against him. She didn't know she had done it, and he was sure he knew her enough to know that she would never have done that consciously, even if she had been given permission to do such.

So, instead of letting his first instinct kick in—which would probably be unjust since he was guessing somehow she managed to save his rear end, though he really would like to know how a witch who blew up toilets had managed such a feat—he settled for the next best option and carefully moved her arm from around his torso and tried to slide away from her.

Unfortunately for him, because "unfortunately" is such a fun character that just loves to screw with people, he didn't manage it and she woke up, lifting her head to peer at him through sleepy eyes. "Hi." She said with a goofy smile on her face, her eyes half-lidded as though she were pretty much still asleep.

Hiei's blush had returned full blast and several thoughts of worry entered his mind. He was completely naked and he knew after six months his hair would pretty much be burned off so there was no hair to cover his forehead where the Evil Eye would be were it there. He didn't know what to say to her.

What if she finished waking up and rejected him because he was disgusting and repulsive? He'd always been told by everyone that the combination of his elements made him forbidden and vulgar, and never before had these comments truly bothered him, but now he was questioning every right that he had to live just because of her.

He fidgeted nervously, flinching as her hand rose in the air. Yes, he was afraid, but not of any physical harm she could do to him. No one could do more damage to him than he had done to himself; than he could do to himself. His bones and muscles still screamed when he moved from the abuse.

No, he was afraid that she would snub their tentative friendship. He actually didn't know if he could handle that at the moment. His mind was weak from a six month battle and that left his emotions wide open to be barraged. He felt her hand trace where his left eyebrow used to be and then felt a weird tingling sensation. "I don't like you being hurt." She told him.

Her hand continued to move over his face, lightly brushing his skin. He wanted to get away from her. This half-asleep Kagome was making his skin tingle with what he was sure was electricity. Her hand was getting rather close to where the Jagan used to be. Was she serious? Did she really not like him getting hurt?

"I'm going to sleep again." Kagome said, and she rolled over away from him, freeing him from her grip. He breathed a sigh of relief that she had moved away and he let his exhaustion hit him. His eyes closed and none of his muscles would obey him and leave the bed. He fell asleep again and for once, he wondered if he hoped he was dreaming or not. Was it a good dream if he was? He wasn't sure.

**-Later- **

When Akari started crying, Kagome immediately woke up. For a moment she stared up at the canopy that covered her four poster bed but then she swung herself up and out of bed and stretched herself free of the kinks of sleep. She felt exhausted. Almost as though she had spent a day using her priestess energy, but that was a ridiculous notion. She would have remembered that.

"Hold on, baby. I'm coming." Kagome told Akari before walking into her bathroom to relieve herself. She kicked the door closed with her heel in case Chu came with breakfast and then turned on the bath to run while she did her business. She flushed, washed her hands, and took her clothes off, throwing them in the laundry basket.

She noticed Akari had stopped crying and guessed that Chu had come in and was entertaining her somehow. Pulling a towel around her form, she walked out of the bathroom intent on telling Chu he could go since she would take care of Akari, but instead of seeing who she had expected to be there, she saw Hiei.

Her jaw dropped. If her towel had not been securely fastened to her, then even that might have dropped, but thankfully something went right for once and it did not drop. When did he get there? She stood there for a moment, watching Hiei stare down at Akari. His hair was the same as always, pointed like a black flame.

It took her a moment to realize he was talking to Akari. "Crying is for babies. That's why you need to stop." He told the child, who giggled at him as though he were silly. Kagome should have taken that moment to go back into the bathroom and put her pajamas back on but the thought slipped her mind. A smile spread across her face as she looked at the black-clad figure by the crib.

She wondered how Hiei had found her house. That puzzled her because Kagome wasn't even sure how to get to her house, and she lived there. Of course, she never really went anywhere, and when she did it was in the limo that Chu drove. Sure, the limo wasn't an eighteen window stretch, but it could comfortably fit six people in the back of it.

And then Hiei turned around. He wore a bandana covering his forehead again. His eyebrow quirked at her, seeing her in a towel and he whispered so quietly she almost missed it, "Thanks for getting me out of there." She saw the rosary around his neck and blinked at it. That had never been something he had worn before. She wondered why he wore it.

Hiei stared at Kagome's face, searching for any inclination that she would reject him, but he saw none. She looked confused, but other than that she really didn't look like she was about to do much else but stand there. He watched her look a bit bewildered for a moment before she said, "Wait a minute, you mean that wasn't a dream?" She sounded horrified.

Hiei thought about just letting her think it was all a dream, but that would be unjust and then he'd have to come up with an excuse as to why he was in her bed. "No, it wasn't a dream. You used your magic to grow back my hair. Don't you remember that?" The clothes that he wore he had found folded carefully at the end of the bed, seemingly waiting for him. So if she didn't put them there, who did?

She blinked slowly before her face turned a bright red, which told him she clearly remembered. Which also meant he had been right: she was likely disgusted at him. Probably angry too. He looked away from her toward Akari who stared up at him and giggled. "Oh my goodness, you must think I'm some sort of slut or something. I'm so sorry! I just am used to having my arms around someone when I sleep because of Shippou... I really am sorry!"

Hiei glanced at Kagome, surprised she hadn't screamed at him. Instead, she was worried about what he thought of her rather than the other way around. No one had ever put his opinion before their own before. _No one_ had ever done that. Did she have no intentions of hating him?

And for the first time in his life, he realized why Kagome was so much different. It was because she was willing to accept people as they were whether she knew their names or not. She didn't care what everyone else thought. She created her own opinions regardless.

This made him smile at her and he said, "You can have your arms around me and it wouldn't bother me at all." Both Kagome and Hiei blushed at the way the statement had sounded. Hiei stammered, "That came out worse than I meant it..."

Kagome nodded. "I know what you meant, but yeah that did sound pretty bad..." She walked over to the crib and lowered the rail, picking up Akari. Akari doubtless needed to be changed and

Hiei looked toward the bathroom and blinked. There was water running into the bedroom from the bathroom. He guessed that probably wasn't a good thing. "Did you blow up another toilet?"

Kagome squeaked her impatience and set Akari down. "I forgot I had the bath running!" She hurried back into the bathroom, finding an inch of water on the floor and more overflowing over the sides of the tub. The bad part was that as she hurried she had to hold the towel in place because it wanted to fall down.

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**Two things: **

**1.) I should not "feel lucky" because you reviewed. You should "feel lucky" because I uploaded. You may help "request" an upload by doing your part and giving me some feedback. 10 reviews on the latest chapter is going to be the rule now. This is, of course, assuming that the harrassment stops now. Those of you who review nicely, I'm not yelling at you. I'm yelling at the idiots who go out of their way to send me emails that are hurtful and annoying and use ten pages to explain just how dumb I am to demand reviews like the "annoying and unrealistic bitch that I am". To those idiots: I refuse to take time out of my life to upload to this site if a few reviewers can't take time out of their "oh so busy" schedule to leave a little review.**

**2.) If we get to chapter 155, I will do another of those review acknowledgements. It will cover chapters 101-150.**


	152. Obsession's Diary

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Thanks for the reviews and support. Love you all. I don't own._

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Chapter one hundred fiftytwo: Obsession's Diary

_Dear Diary:_

_Some people would go as far as to saying that I am obsessed with her. I wouldn't exactly say that, but I do love her. I stood by her bed and watched her sleep. I held her baby without her knowledge. She never knew I was there. Her baby started screaming as though she knew I wasn't her mother. I wanted to kill her baby for that, but I had to hold myself back. _

_I wouldn't want to make her sad or anything. She doesn't look as beautiful when she is crying. I can't stand to even think of her in pain. She means everything to me. I always hated it when the girls wanted to set her up on dates with Hojou. But never would I have thought that when I came in to watch her sleep... _

_Never had I expected that she would be in a bed with a naked man. But not just any man... he was ugly! Not a hair on his body and there was this disgusting hole in his forehead. I could forgive the fact that she has a baby now. Men do that; one night stands that don't last. All men are pigs and I hate them. But seeing her cuddled right up against his body... _

_She needs to be punished. And the amulet that I was given will help me punish her. She should know that I love her. She will know I love her... _

**-Feudal Era- **

War. It was everywhere in the Eastern Kingdom. Where the Western Lands lived in relative peace, the Eastern Kingdom was in turmoil, and its new ruler was having a difficult time pulling the pieces back together. Civil wars broke out between the lesser nobles that were less wishful of a peaceful relationship with the crown and the major nobles that completely backed the crown.

The lesser nobles were backed by the most prominent success in the Eastern Lands: the Wolf clan. Canines often had this need to dominate everything and everyone and being dominated by a clan of Foxes had never been their ideal situation. With the power of the wolves at their back, those loyal to the crown had difficulty stomping out the threat.

Shippou, new ruler of the Eastern Lands, was right there to fight beside his warriors. He was not yet the best fighter, but he responded better to real battle experiences than constant training. It had been a long time since he had seen much else but the wasteland they called a battle field. His thoughts would drift in the momentary stillness that came once or twice a month.

Rin would be fifteen or sixteen by that time, he would think. Sesshoumaru probably already married her off to one of his major nobles, or minor nobles, or whoever Sesshoumaru decided was good enough for his ward. Her face would enter Shippou's vision, a smile of sparkling white teeth and the most beautiful brown orbs he had ever seen.

He saw her face every time he closed his eyes. He knew what it meant. He wasn't stupid. He was in love with the little human girl who had wormed her way into a stoic man's heart. He only wished he could tell her. Unfortunately, now that he was the ruler of the Eastern Lands, he could not enter the Western Lands without specific permission from Sesshoumaru.

He'd never get it. It didn't take much to know that for sure. Sesshoumaru probably was better from being sick, and now he noticed Shippou's disappearance and the significance of the war that was pushed onto the Western Lands. He probably realized that it was Shippou's fault the war even happened. If Shippou had known his uncle and the heir had died, it wouldn't be a problem, because Shippou would have gone home willingly.

But that was not the case... "Hey, are you okay?" Shippou looked to the side to see his personal guard had entered his tent. His guard was moving toward where Shippou lay sprawled on his back on the futon. Shippou's sword was within easy reach from his hand. He nodded carelessly, the sun marking on his forehead and the small spiny triangles that arched away from it glimmering with an array of color.

"I was just thinking." Shippou murmured softly, knowing his companion could hear. He wondered where Naraku was and what he was doing. Was Inuyasha still searching for the damnable half-breed that had caused so much trouble? Had the curse ultimately killed Miroku? What about Sango and Kohaku?

"I know that face." Kurama stated calmly, seating himself gracefully on his knees beside the bed roll. Kurama did not dare get closer to Shippou than he already was. Kurama was attracted to the boy and after so long of not acting on that attraction, he didn't know if he would be able to stop himself if he got too strong of a whiff of Shippou's aroused scent.

Shippou always got aroused when he was thinking of the woman he called Rin. But even while Kurama was trying to stay further away, he couldn't exactly go to the other side of the tent or something. He had a specific place where he had to be. It would be rude of him to do so, and it would also be hard to explain to his King the reason he was staying away.

"Youko... Come here..." Shippou said, suddenly patting the spot next to him on the bed roll. Kurama wasn't sure what to do exactly. His tail twitched and his ears flickered back and forth as he tried to find some reason not to. "Youko." Shippou said in a firmer tone of voice. He had learned that people would rather not do as he said just because he was king, and using a firm tone of voice left no room for discussion.

Kurama stood and walked closer, settling on the bed beside Shippou. He did not lie down though his body wanted him to. He resisted the urge to do so. Suddenly the candles that lit the tent all went out and there was nothing but the dark of night. Hands began to massage his tail just where it connected with his back.

He nearly lost it then. His tail was a major weak point for him. Heat pooled inside him, but he heard the voice of his King say, "Youko, don't try hiding your feelings for me. It bothers me."

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**That's Crazy, and so are you.**


	153. Garbage

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: "I have returned faith in my reviewers. Do by me your part, and by you I shall do my part." T.K. says asshe stands on the stage, preparing to read the next chapter to her audience."T.K. is back!" the crowd hails her joyously, some jumping up and down in their seats with anticipation while others sat calmly as could be, filing their nails or sorting through paperwork just so they could get a little extra work done while they waited for the chapter to begin. One young woman was too eager to wait and she jumped up on the stage and grabbed the chapter in the same hand that held her lit cigarette. "Oh my god, I am holding the--ouch!" The paper exploded into flames... and she turned tail and fled, leaving the charred remains on the ground.__**

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Chapter one hundred fiftythree: Garbage

Yusuke's eyes were too swollen to view Koenma properly due to one-to-many punches to the head in his most recent session with his _kind_ jailers. He shuddered, not liking the cold and drafty air that bit at his fingers, toes, and nose.

He stood awkwardly on two half-healed broken legs and used his good arm to hold the blanket around him while his recently broken arm hung limp beside him. It was not unlike the boy to hold his tongue about the pain he was in, but in his eyes even the unwary could see he was in dreaded agony.

Surrounding Yusuke were four of the elite guards taken from the most dangerous level of the dungeon. Two of them were directly beside him, the other two were behind him to his left and right sides. The purpose they served was so that if--however unlikely it seemed--Yusuke were to attack Koenma, they could deter the bitter teen.

One of the guards bent slightly in a bow; he was the guard directly to the left of Yusuke. His dirt smeared uniform once was white but could no longer be termed as such. His eyes and hair were equally as dirty colored. "My lord," the guard spoke eloquently, suggesting a more regal background than first assumed.

His skin was brown and his lips a light pink. He seemed to be the leader of this group of assassins. "Iluia," brown eyes rimmed in gold stared hauntingly toward the leader of the guard, "clearly he is no longer of use to us. A new Spirit Detective will replace him. Dispose of such filth and garbage."

This man who posed as Koenma was no kind heart, obviously. Iluia, the captain of the guard, bowed generously to the ruler of the Spirit World. "As Your Majesty wishes," he whispered. "The Demon Realm or the Human World?"

"Let us have fun." Koenma chuckled, hate lacing every vibe of his tone. "Toss him in the Human World and set a few dogs on him. He has many enemies, I'm sure. And Iluia," he said as the captain assassin was about to leave, "make it believable."

"As My Lord requests." Iluia nodded gravely and grabbed the young teen by the arm, by his broken arm.

Yusuke felt his eyes well up with tears, though it was not from the pain. He couldn't even use his voice to object his treatment anymore. Koenma was throwing him away like a piece of used garbage, and he had indicated that he was such as well. His body was already littered with scars new and old, his nose had been broken and healed wrong, and his left ear was missing a large chunk of it. The scarring over his ear was red and tender. Just a brush of his matted hair made white hot bolts of pain surge through him.

Yusuke lacked two of his toes on one foot; the torturers in the dungeon had sliced them off, for suveniers they had said. He was partially blind in one eye; a scar ran from the back of his neck to the top of his head and down his forehead across one eye to follow the line of his nose and trail across his lips down to his chin. Every one of his fingers were broken not once but shattered with a hammer.

Infection had seized every one of the improperly treated wounds, and he was sure he had dysentery, a disease which would rot him inside out. Most out of all the emotions surging him at the moment, he wanted to pounce on Koenma and beat the prince dead for being able to speak so casually of a human being as garbage. One small thing that had helped keep him going the past six months was that maybe Koenma hadn't ordered his torture, and knew nothing of it happening.

Now he knew... Now he knew how wrong he was. Now he knew that Hiei and Kurama and Kuwabara cared nothing for him, not as a friend, not as anything. There was only one hope left: perhaps he would stay alive long enough to see Kagome again, and her baby... what was her baby's name again? It had been so long, he couldn't even remember... oh yes, Akari Dekage... such a beautiful name.

As he was dragged away, tears pushed their way out of his puffed up eyes. Akari Dekage, a light in shadow. Akari Dekage... but Yusuke could not see the child as a light in shadow. A major factor of his lasting so long was Kagome. Every time he got desperate enough to attempt to kill himself, which would have been possible if he threw himself at the stone wall enough times, he thought of Kagome and her bright smile.

Sadly enough, and sick in the head, Yusuke thought he was in love with his cousin.He always thought maybe he would make it out and he would be able to see Kagome. The guards were dragging Yusuke away, he knew that much. He couldn't see her, but somewhere nearby Yusuke thought he heard a familiar female voice. Was it Keiko's? Or Botan's? Did Keiko ever really exist, or was she a figment of a diluded and tortured soul's imagination?

**-Two Minutes Before-**

Keiko stepped into Koenma's office, as he had asked her to come. She did see Yusuke being dragged away. She saw his disfigured body and felt horrified, but she showed none of this on her face. One thing of having a newly made step-father--her mother had married the bastard--was that she had quickly learned to still the emotions she showed on her face. For the past three months she had shown no one any emotions whatever.

Koenma had commented on it the last time Keiko had been asked to come. He had said she would make a fine Spirit Detective. Now though, Koenma was looking at Keiko with a raised brow, a sign she had come to recognize as the start to an interrogation. He would likely ask about Yusuke, so she went through all her possible responses in her mind and guessed the outcome of each one.

Likely it was Koenma's doing that Yusuke had disappeared six months ago. Many of his wounds were not recent and had been accumulated over a long stretch of time. She wondered if Hiei and Kagome's disappearances were the same way. Keiko had gone to tutor Hiei again but he was never home. She had even stayed overnight at his apartment to see if he would ever show, but he did not.

The case with Kagome was that she moved to a new house, or so Keiko had heard. She had stopped going to school and was, supposedly, getting home-schooled by one of the teachers at the High School, though which one Keiko did not know. It was to be assumed that Akari Dekage would of course be with Kagome, but still Keiko wondered just where her friend and her baby had gone to.

Everyone knew that Kagome had a baby, and everyone knew the baby's name. It had not been failed to notice the child's name. Mrs. Thomas, the gym teacher, often commented on it, musing her concern for the mother and baby. But now, Keiko began to wonder if the rumors were true. Was Kagome being home-schooled? Was she even alive? Keiko decided it was best to question this, yet not voice her concerns to Yusuke's employer--also her employer.

"Please, have a seat." Koenma said, more gold glinting in his eyes than usual. She thought it made him look rather evil, but said nothing of it and did not let her surprise show on her face. She took a seat in the chair that a red ogre brought in for her, crossing her legsand flippantly smoothing her skirt out. No prince of the Spirit World would catch her nervousness. She had worked too hard to hide her emotions.

"Your Highness is most gracious to allow me a seat in His presence." Keiko demurred and in turn she recieved a pompous chuckle. He really did think he was a great person, but Keiko was reserved more than he thought. She was rather sneaky, and she knew how to talk to make a person feel like they were in the greater power, when in truth, she was the one with the hold on _them_.

"I know... I am rather kind, am I not?" he inquired, an arrogant smile making it's way to his face. She nodded humbly, though inside she was smirking. She had gotten many of her ideas from the way Hiei had acted around her. He had done the same thing, only at the time he had been in Keiko's position, not Koenma's. "Yusuke--" Koenma started, now all business.

Keiko put a look of disgust on her face and then quickly covered it again. For him, he would think she hadn't managed to conceal her disgust, but she knew better. It was more anger she wanted to show but couldn't or she'd be caught in a lie. "What about him?" she asked, allowing an edge of ice cool her voice. "I assume he got the way he is because he was stupid as usual." she hated herself for demeaning her ex-boyfriend, but it was necessary. She wanted to stay in Koenma's good eye.

Koenma raised his other eyebrow, for a moment he was showing true surprise. She could tell he had not been expecting her to be like she was now. She shook her head as though it should be obvious and stated, "I grew up with him. I know him like I know the back of my hand. He's always looking for a fight and he doesn't care if he gets hurt. Besides, I think he deserved what he got, because he..." she was lying through her teeth, but Koenma was eating her words for truth. That was what mattered. She put bitter hurt in her voice, the cold ice gone now. She let salty tears well in her eyes and inwardly praised herself for good acting skills, "He broke up with me..."

Koenma nodded slightly.He said, "A woman can be very vengeful, I see. Let me not be on your bad side." She pulled a kerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes, hiding them behind the shadows of her bangs. "Now, I called you here because Kurama was to give you something for me."

Sniffling slightly, she reached in her messenger bag and pulled out an item wrapped in cloth. She didn't fail to notice that Koenma's eyes lit up greedily, but he made no move to take it. "Here you are, Your Highness." she murmured, setting it on the desk.

"You are dismissed." She departed the room and made her way down the hall. She did not require Botan to open a portal for her anymore, not since she had fully pierced the potential of her witch magic. She reached the end of the hall and with a wave of her hand a black door appeared in front of her. She turned the knob and opened it, walking inside. When she closed the door behind her--of course her portal would be different from that of the Lady Death's--a door appeared in front of her and the one behind her disappeared.

She opened that door and walked out in front of Hiei's housing complex. She hoped he would be home. She needed to tell someone her suspicions ofKoenma, and she wasn't sure if she could even trust Kurama. He had been acting rather odd of late. She wasn't willing to find out why and at least she could trust Hieienough to know he wouldn't rat her out for her suspicions. He never trusted anyone. He could also read her mind to see what she saw first hand.

She took the elevator up to his floor and walked to his apartment door. She knocked twice and would have knocked a third time, except her knuckles met empty air as the door was opened sharply. "Yukimura?" the girl in the door inquired. "What are you doing here?"

Keiko raised an eyebrow... Of course... Hiei had not been here for nearly six months... the place must have been sold... The last time Keiko had been at this apartment was four months ago when she stayed all night. She wondered what had happened to Hiei's things. Probably tossed out on Curb Day, when everyone put their garbage items on the Curb and it was all taken away.

But her... this girl... It almost made Keiko want to laugh.

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**View my profile for the new TMttF rule. 50 reviews per chapter, and I am not counting flames either. Also, if this story gets removed because someone reports me and my little "author notes" (which are usually minimal to begin with) then don't count on me bringing it back for your satisfaction. That's just crazy.** **(go ahead, say it...)**


	154. A Brother's Discussion

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: "Participating in NaNoWriMo! Gaaaaah!" screams T.K. wildly. She stops a moment to think and then states, "Oh yeah, and I don't own."__**

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Chapter one hundred fiftyfour: A Brother's Discussion

**-Spirit World-**

"Why have you called me here, Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru asked, settling himself comfortably in his seat across the desk of his treasurer. Inuyasha, as Sesshoumaru's lead general in his armies, and the bookkeeper for Sesshoumaru's expense accounts had two separate offices, supposedly so he could keep both jobs separate. It did not work, Sesshoumaru saw.

In this room there were so many maps and requisitions for various places in the army that Sesshoumaru wondered if it might not be to his benifit just to give Inuyasha one very large room to keep all of his things, and instead decided against it. If Inuyasha was able to make it work, he wasn't going to bother changing it. So far Inuyasha seemed quite able to handle what he was given, along with his 'hobby' business in the Human World.

Sesshoumaru grinned at the serious expression on Inuyasha's face. The glasses Inuyasha had perched on the end of his nose slipped a bit farther as he tilted his head to see more of the report he was reading. The younger brother's hair was tied back in a horse tail, where some people might make it look good, the boy just seemed to appear a nerd.

The clothes the younger boy wore were sensible enough for what a general would wear in a time of leisure in the modern age: a pair of shorts that hung to his knees were dark colored in comparison to the white polo tee-shirt he wore, the tee-shirt having a pocket in the right breast large enough to stick a pen in and clip it there. Since it was springtime, more so late spring, the boy did not want to wear pants unless he was working in the Human World, where a suit and tie were important to his image. In the Spirit World, no one really cared what the higher-ups were wearing, so long as they got the job done.

Inuyasha took his glasses off, needing them only when he'd spent many long hours reading, as would anyone. Inuyasha would never admit it, but he was partially blind in one eye from being exposed to a toxic substance back in the nineteen fifties. Sesshoumaru had managed to get Inuyasha to help quickly before the acid ate through his eye and reached his brain, but from that day forward his eye had always been surrounded in a milky-white rim and that continued to invade his eye slowly as the years passed, but thankfully a lot less speedy than a normal human would suffer.

Leaning forward, his elbows on the desk and his hands clasped together, Inuyasha peered at his brother with a frown. A small gust of wind slammed the door shut, alerting Sesshoumaru to the fact that Inuyasha was annoyed. Many years ago Inuyasha had successfully managed to control the wind with his sword, having taken a cue from Kagura the Wind Sorceress. Now to do so, all he needed to have was the Tetsusaiga within ten feet of his body. Sesshoumaru had wondered on the secret of how Inuyasha managed to pull that off, but never could guess and Inuyasha wasn't so very keen on telling.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha asked, an edge in his voice that hadn't been there in years. It made the older dog-demon feel a little tickled around the edges of his ego, in fact, almost like a dog with bristling fur at the nape of his neck. Odd since he was a dog, considering.

"Notice what, Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru said, innocent of all charges. He was sure he knew what Inuyasha was getting at: the recent five-hundred-thousand expense, a house paid for upfront, and then seemingly just given away to a random human, and in the Demon Realm no less! Humans were very rarely allowed in the Demon Realm, and not just anyone could pass through either. Sesshoumaru had to personally okay the transistion for the Guardian of the Barrier to even consider allowing the person through. Sesshoumaru had skipped all that, gone to the Guardian, spoke to him, and told him to open the barrier for a specific vehicle.

Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched slightly and Sesshoumaru felt a slight breeze pick up. However, he was far from intimidated. Inuyasha said, his voice a bit louder than before, "Then you better start thinking quick, Sesshoumaru. Because you said when I took this job, you would run all your expenses by me and five-hundred-thousand dollars don't just disappear on their own."

"Oh, simmer down, Inuyasha. It's not like it's a big dent in my pocket book, is it?" Sesshoumaru interjected.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest and then sighed and marked something on the document. "No, I guess not." He muttered. "I suppose I just thought you respected me a little more."

"Don't act like such a spoiled brat and I'll tell you why I spent the money." At that, Inuyasha looked up, all irritation seemed to be slipping away.

Inuyasha ran his hand through his hair, forgetting he had it in a horse tail and having to redo it again. "Does it have to do with the woman you've been seeing in secret in the Demon Realm?" He smirked at the surprised look on Sesshoumaru's face, "What, think I wouldn't know? I've had people tailing you for months since you took the money for the house. So is the kid yours? Please tell me it isn't. I don't think I want to look forward to another niece like Mitsuko. She's handful enough when she wants to be."

A small chuckle rose from Sesshoumaru's throat. He should have known, he supposed. "No, Akari Dekage is not my child. The woman is like family to me, almost like a sister. She and her Opposite ended up in the same body and so she fused her Opposite's soul to one of her eggs, thus giving them both a chance to live again. But Akari Dekage may prove to be more of a handful than sweet Mitsuko, you know. Would you like to meet her and her mother? Her mother already knows you.." He offered gently. Sesshoumaru could remember the bad luck Inuyasha had with women. Over the years, he'd attempted to settle down with a family, but women couldn't keep up with the hanyou who ran back and forth from one job to the next, flitting between the realms like they were rooms in the same house.

Of course, Kagome had been asking about Inuyasha recently, for at least a week, and Sesshoumaru had managed to evade those questions. Already Sesshoumaru knew it wouldn't last for long. She wouldn't be satisfied until she knew Inuyasha was alive as well, and Sesshoumaru couldn't say Inuyasha was dead either. What if they met in the streets by some odd chance. How weird would that be? "How does she know me? Who is she?" Inuyasha asked, attempting to be preoccupied with files and reports on his desk though his interest in them was minimum. He merely moved them one place and then to another as if the first wasn't good enough.

"Her name is Kagome Lynn Akiko Higurashi. As for how she knows you... I think you should remember how you knew her before I ever fill you in on the specifics." Sesshoumaru placed his long fingered hands on the armrests of his chair, using them to lever his weight as he pulled himself to a standing position. There was a considerable amount of him to stand up being so tall.

"But I don't know anyone named Kagome. I've never known anyone with that name." Inuyasha said in confusion.

"Was that all you needed? I'd like to go talk with my son about his treatment of a boy named Kazuma six months ago. Kazuma only now brings this to my attention... it makes me feel bad and untrusted."

Inuyasha murmured darkly, "You are bad though, and you really shouldn't be trusted."

Sesshoumaru sighed, "You wound me with your words. I'm going to see Kagome tonight, if you'd like to come."

Shaking his head, Inuyasha told him, "I've got work to do, and I still have to go speak with Koenma as well. He sent a witch to settle an upset clan of ogres in the Demon Realm and it only made them angrier, so now I have to deploy a battalion of soldiers to deal with the problem, and I was going to lead. You know, he's not too old to take over your knee."

"No, he's not, but his mother's protection for him has spiked in this recent year, since he matured and I really don't think it would be healthy for anyone if their King and Queen decided to go at it like professional bar brawlers." Sesshoumaru explained.

"Oh, one more thing before you go, please?" Sesshoumaru had crossed the room and now had his hand on the door. "I don't know if you heard about this, but rumors are flying around that you pardoned the ban Chieko had on Mitsuko entering the Spirit World. I'd like to hear it from your own lips.."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the hard red wood of the door before turning those golden orbs on Inuyasha. Just the thought of a ban on his only child by Seirra made his blood run cold. There was a dangerous edge to his tone that he wasn't sure how it really got there when he spoke next. "Mitsuko is my daughter. I never liked Chieko, and I don't like her any more now than I did then."

That was answer enough for Inuyasha, it seemed, because he nodded grimly and turned back to his paperwork. These two statements he had made contradicted each other. Inuyasha knew that Sesshoumaru would punish his Queen if he felt she was stepping over the line. He felt a sudden chill run down his spine as the door shut and was glad he hadn't told Sesshoumaru of the other rumors he had heard.

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**Read my newest story called The Challenge to see why I am posting one review early, and not just one chapter but two! And feel special! Because you are crazy! And you know it!**


	155. Puddle Jumping Memories

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: "Participating in NaNoWriMo! Gaaaaah!" screams T.K. wildly. She stops a moment to think and then states, "Oh yeah, and I don't own."__**

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Chapter one hundred fiftyfive: Puddle Jumping Memories

**-Demon Realm- **

Kagome settled into the bathtub with Akari, listening to Hiei talk on the other side of the door where he sat on the floor leaning against the wall. The door was just a tiny crack open; Kagome had left it that way so she could hear him better. She had asked him a question about his family, not really expecting an answer other than 'It's none of your business' and was surprised to get one.

"What was my family like?" Hiei asked her, as though surprised she even bothered to ask the question. He was silent for a moment, leaning his head back against the wall and listening to Akari giggle and laugh as she was splashed with water. He thought back to those few people he considered his family and decided he wanted to tell Kagome. "By now, I'm going to guess you know the world isn't... I'm... well..." He had a hard time saying it. What if she really didn't realize it? What if she had honestly no clue that he wasn't just a deformed human who was perhaps experimented on?

Kagome filled in for him, "A demon? There're all kinds of them, all over the place. You're right, I know the world is stranger than it seems. It's because of the Jewel shards that I know you demons exist though... you're not the first I've met. Most of them that I have met are quite a bit more blunt about things than you. Anyway, you were saying?"

Hiei wondered of her story and what she meant by that, but didn't ask yet. She had asked him first, so he supposed he owed it to her to answer first. Despite that, she had saved his life, seen his elements raging, and didn't reject him when she saw a big gaping disgusting hole in his forehead, so he really felt a connection to her, like she wouldn't shun him. It didn't mean he wasn't afraid it would happen. He was afraid, very afraid, that it could still happen.

But what if she truly wanted to be his friend and know more about him? Even Kurama had never inquired so deep into Hiei's past. "Yeah, anyway... well... My mom? She was... she was an ice maiden. My dad was... a fire apparition... These elements are forbidden to go together, as are lightning and water, you know... elements of opposition can't mix. I'm not the first mixed breed demon made of opposing elements, but I'm the first to survive it."

"I see..." Kagome said softly, washing Akari's black curls with the baby soap. Akari sat on the bottom of the tub between Kagome's stretched out legs, Kagome using one hand to keep Akari in an upright position as the baby waved her hands frantically to giggle and splash the water, looking up at Kagome with intelligent brown eyes as if to make sure it was okay to splash, only continuing when Kagome smiled at her. "No one wants to know a person whose elements might flare up and kill all those in the vicinity, is that it?"

Hiei winced at her quiet inquiring tone, but did not deny its truth. She might be clumsy, but she was smart. "That's right." He wished she hadn't grasped the truth of the matter, because now he was sure she would tell him to leave. He didn't want to leave because he felt safe. He felt with her he could tell her anything and not another soul would ever know of it.

He even felt calmer being able to hear the baby, Akari Dekage, giggling while she bathed. It was strange, since he hardly even knew her. When he had first heard Akari crying, while standing in the lobby, he had felt a strong surge of emotion inside him that he wasn't even sure what it was. But it had taken his breath away.

"Well, when you kill me due to raging elements, let me know and I'll stay away, okay?" He heard a small laugh. "Until then, I'll continue to be a thorn in your side. So what about your mother? Was she kind?"

Hiei felt a very real smile cross his face, one that lit his eyes, and stared at the canopy of Kagome's ridiculously large bed. The outer curtains were a dark green velvet, tied to the corner posts. The inner curtains were connected to sliders and a rod so they could be pulled open or shut, and made of a sheer ivory colored fabric. Currently they were open. The mattress was covered with a bedspread of the same green and it was still messy from while she and Hiei and been sleeping. The sheets were an ivory tusk color. The pillows were green and ivory depending on which size, the larger ones green and smaller ivory. Several pillows were on the floor because Kagome had an uncanny knack for tossing and turning.

"My birth mother left me in a basket in the middle of the woods just after she gave birth to me and left with my sister only, who she gave birth to just moments after me. Ice maidens give birth to two children at once usually not bothering with a male companion since they don't need to, but my sister was lucky. My father had given this ice maiden only one child. Since I was only a newborn, my elements were weak yet." Hiei had only told Keiko about Hakushiimaru and his wife, and he hadn't expected he'd ever repeat it to Kagome.

Kagome felt sad for Hiei. He had really been abandoned. Kagome had at least known her family before she was kicked out to live with her Aunt and cousin. "What about your father? Why didn't he stop her? Or find you?"

"He was killed by a clan of angry ice maiden warrior guards who would have killed me too. My mother did it for my safety, I suppose. There was more chance of me surviving for at least a few years if I was found and cared for." He replied.

"And were you?"

"I was found by a... a human woman. She picked me up and took me home to her demon husband, who saw what I was and gave me his eye, implanting it in my forehead hoping it would save me from my elements. It did, and I grew up with them. Hakushiimaru had this thing for peace, a notion his father always laughed at." At the memory of the Evil Eye, he reached up and felt the purple and black beaded rosary that had stopped him from killing himself. "You've gotten silent in there. Did you drown?" he called.

"No, but thanks for worrying." Kagome had grown quiet because she was trying to picture the amount of love and devotion a person would have to have to give up their eye, to actually remove their eye and implant it in another. Akari splashed again and she looked at the little child who, though small, was far more intelligent than she should be even if she didn't show it in the conventional ways. Kagome realized, I would do that. I would do that for my Akari. "So, where are they now? They must be proud of you. You're a really good person."

Hiei made a face at that, unable to help himself. He wasn't a 'good person'. He was evil, plain and simple. It was just that...well... domination of the world was just going to have to wait a while. At least until he had his Evil Eye back. Having it reimplanted was going to hurt though. But then the knowledge of what she had said sunk in and he felt his face fall. It was still so recent ago that he had tortured himself with his elements that his mind had to catch up yet, so he was showing more emotions than he was used to.

"Haku...no, my father and mother... they were killed by bandits while they attempted to protect me with weapons they'd really never known how to wield in the first place. I didn't know how to fight. We'd just been walking is all." He pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them, placing his chin on them. Now that he had started the story, he couldn't find it in him to stop and if he was stopped, he knew he wouldn't be able to start up again. Kagome seemed to realize this too, because she didn't ask questions or interrupt. He heard a ripple of water, someone getting out of the tub.

"We were walking home. It was a beautiful day, I remember. Mother commented on it. She said, 'It's been ages since we've had a day this nice, hasn't it Hakushiimaru?' Father and mother were holding hands while they walked. It had rained the day before, so the path was muddy. I kept tripping in the mud, getting dirtier and dirtier, but mother and father would skirt the puddles. I remember I liked to try to splash mother and father, but they never got a drop on them. They would laugh together, but not mean laughing. I used to race ahead of them and hide, then when they neared, I'd jump out into a puddle. But that day, I ran ahead and stumbled into a bandit party waiting on the road for travelers." Hiei's voice caught in his throat for a moment but then he pressed on. He had to. He had to continue.

The memories hurt to recall, but he knew he needed to. "They chased me, so I ran back and hid behind my mother and poked my head out from behind her legs. I made brown muddy handprints on my mother's new white kimono. Father, being the peaceful type he was, attempted to talk his way out of the situation. Then an arrow struck my mother in the back as she turned around to assure me everything would be okay. My father told me, 'Run, Hiei. Back home, now!' So I ran. Father picked up mother and they were behind me. The bandits came after us, all screaming drunken slurs. We made it home and father tore up the floorboards under my bed, taking out a rusted old sword and a battered spear. He handed the spear to mother, and she said, 'Haku, take this ridiculous arrow from my back. It is unfashionable.' Father didn't want to, I could see it, but he did it anyway. She screamed and nearly fainted, but kept standing."

In the bathroom, he heard movement on the tiles and the plug being pulled to let the water out. Kagome and Akari were done with their bath. Still, he continued talking. "Mother carried the spear and father scooped me up, still holding the rusted sword. I remember being very scared. Weapons were bad. Mother used knives to cut up our vegetables, but other than that, we had no other use for them until now. I'd never known that hiding spot even existed. Father and mother were trying to get to Akio's village, where there were warriors. We never made it. We had a little shed where father kept his garden hoe. I was shoved in there, and mother and father died to protect me. Mother died first. Father told me, 'Fight... Fight for your life. Don't give out your trust easily. Peace will get you nowhere.'"

Silent arms wrapped around his shoulders and he buried his face in the shoulder that came with those arms. Tears flew down his face into Kagome's navy blue bathrobe. He didn't return the hug, his hands were too busy being clenched. "I went after the bandits. I was with them for five years, learning to be just like them so I could kill them for what they did. I killed them all. The ones who ran, I chased them down and killed them too. Some begged mercy so they could return to their families, and I asked, 'What about my family? You didn't give them mercy! What about them?' They'd ramble about changing their ways. I told them they were right. They wouldn't harm another family. And I killed them too."

"Shh, its okay." Kagome whispered to him, running her hand through his hair. He was shaking badly. He was scared, frightened beyond a doubt. That's it. She decided. He's not leaving my house for a long while, that's for sure. She hadn't intended to let him out to begin with, not with someone out there who was willing to let him suffer like he had been. But now she was positive she wasn't letting him go. Akari was crawling around on the floor, bumping her head against Hiei's leg.

"Fa-herr." she said in a bubbly little voice. Her very first word, or at least it sounded like a word. "Fa-herr." It sounded like she was saying... oh dear, no. Kagome thought and it seemed Hiei thought the same thing. He shot away from Kagome, scrambling away from the child.

"I'm not your... your... um..." He seemed to have already blocked his mind from thinking about the bad things he just talked about to favor trying to grasp the concept of how it seemed to Kagome that Akari was calling Hiei her father. She felt a little jealous because she wanted Akari's first word to be 'mama' in relation to Kagome herself, but she shoved the jealousies aside to look on the bright side.

Hiei looked like he was about to die of a heart attack due to stress at the moment and the cause would be the child. That would certainly be a twist of events. Then Kagome would have to call Sesshoumaru and have him come revive Hiei with the Tenseiga! Akari was crawling continuously toward Hiei. He jumped up onto the bed to get away from her. Then Akari started bawling bloody murder, to which Kagome had to laugh at his expression.

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**Fifty Reviews On This Chapter Before I Update! That's really not crazy at all.**


	156. Frightened Keiko

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: View my profile for a link to my NaNoWriMo web user page. Please, please? I don't own your money, but I want to!__**

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Chapter one hundred fiftysix: Frightened Keiko

**-Human World- **

Keiko gaped at the girl open-mouthed. "Katajimi? What are you doing here?" Usagi Katajimi was a famous pop-star, known for her heartbreakingly sad songs. She was in a band with four other people. Not only that, but she went to Sarayashiki for a few years and was Keiko's rival while in school. Then she dropped out and got her GED so she could have more time to go with her band on tours.

"More of the question is what you're doing here?" Katajimi said, leaning on the door frame with a smirk on her face. "You're looking for the hot guy with red eyes, right? Well, you're a floor too high. But don't think you have a shot in hell with him. He might be extremely gorgeous, but he's got a boyfriend."

"A boyfriend?" Keiko could almost have laughed at that, but actually it would have been more hysterics than anything. That Katajimi was living in such a run-down old apartment building said a lot. Being a pop-star wasn't everything. "Hiei? Having a boyfriend? How would you know anyway?"

"Just the fact that a guy with pink hair keeps stopping by the apartment downstairs with a black haired woman and a red haired guy. But they left a while ago." Keiko knew her face was lit with the question 'how do you know all this?'. "I know because I've got access to the complex security cameras. It pays to be a pop-star."

Keiko glared at the woman before stalking off back to the elevator to see if this was true. She went a floor down and reached into the mousehole next to the door, extracting the key Hiei kept hidden there. She had found this months ago. Hiei wasn't tall enough to reach the top of the doorframe so logically had to hide his keys someplace inconspicuous and low to the ground. She unlocked the door and entered. The place was empty, though clean, and even more run-down than she had last seen it.

Damn, she thought. She'd been hoping against all hope that Hiei might be home. With a groan, she walked through the room, thinking that maybe something might clue her in to where he was. She had reached his desk and opened one drawer, shuffling through it. A notebook hidden underneath some other papers caught her attention and she scooped it up.

Shuffling through the pages, she saw they were all drawings of people. Most were of a woman with her back to the drawer. But jammed crudely into the center of the book was a folded drawing of a man, a woman, and a boy. All of them were covered in what appeared to be blood. "I'm going to say this once..." she heard behind her and froze. "Put it down."

Keiko closed the notebook carefully and stuck it in the drawer, turning to face the one who she had come to find. What bad luck he would catch her prying? "Akari and I can wait outside..." Kagome stood by the door, unsure if she should continue in further.

Keiko felt a sigh escape her lips. "Please, that would help." She said quietly. The door closed and Keiko instantly regretted telling Kagome to go outside. She flinched when he took a step closer to her, expecting a blow from his powerful fists. He nearly gagged on the amount of fear she was showing him, and he knew it was all his fault. He didn't even need the Evil Eye to tell that.

Hiei closed the gap between him and Keiko, reaching toward her to place one clawed hand on her lower arm, close to her elbow. The other hand moved to her chin, turning her head so she would see him if she opened her eyes. She was squinting them shut like her life depended on it. "Open your eyes." He ordered her, but she didn't. If anything, she squeezed them shut even farther.

She attempted to pull away from him, but the desk was hindering her escape. She was acting like a cornered mouse and he didn't like it. Where was the defiance? Where was her boldness? What had the past six months done to her? He knew what it had done to him, but what about her. He moved his hand from her chin to the back of her neck, still able to control the direction of her head, and at the same time having a more firm grip on it.

"Keiko, stop fighting me." He had pulled her head down so her ear was level with his mouth. Whatever had happened to her, he didn't like it. Kagome had argued a good point with him, that it would be best if he stayed at her house anyway. He had said he just wanted to go home.

**-Flashback- **

_"I can't let you go now!" Kagome told him seriously. "There are people out there who want to hurt you, and the least you could do is stay here until you've recovered. Please, if anything, it will set my mind at ease to know you are nearby. And Akari already likes you, so it's really no problem! Besides that, I need help tracking down my cousin. He's been missing for months, or at least I haven't seen him anyway." _

_"You're rambling." Hiei had told her to which she blushed. "Look, the apartment there is my home. I've lived there for five years now. I have a perfectly good bed, a kitchen perhaps slightly run-down, and a bathroom with a brand new toilet because a certain someone blew up my last one. I just spent--" _

_Kagome had pressed her finger to his lips, smiling. "You're rambling." She gave him a small hug and said, "The first place any thorough person would look for you is at your home. It's because everyone just wants to go home. But sometimes... home isn't the safest place to be. Stay with me?" _

_"I want chocolate-strawberry cheesecake and ice-cream then. And I need to get some things from my apartment." His body was rigid and he refused to return her hug, though his arms wanted to so badly. He wouldn't give into this woman's trusting nature. Everyone who he trusted was betraying him recently. If he didn't trust her, she couldn't betray that could she? He was protecting himself, ahead of time. _

_"Please--" she insisted, trying to talk him out of it. _

_"These things are as important to me as the Jewel shards are to you. I have to get them. Come along if you have to, but I have to get them." _

_Kagome sighed heavily. "Fine. Chu? I know you're there." she released Hiei and walked to the door, opening it. The blue haired demon fell forward. Listening at keyholes was so hard when a person was so big. "Chu, we're going out. Would you give us a ride?" _

_Straightening himself up with a faint blush, the demon nodded, his eyes meeting Hiei's. Hiei's jaw had dropped as he stared from Chu's face, to his candy cap in his hands, to Kagome, and back again. "The... what the fuck is he--?" _

_"Many pardons, Mrs. Higurashi." Chu apologized, interrupting Hiei. _

_Kagome waved from Chu, who Hiei definitely recognized, to Hiei, introducing them to each other. "Chu, this is my friend. This is Chu, my butler-slash-accountant-slash-chauffer-slash-cook-slash--" _

_"I get that part." Hiei said and thought, what the hell is he doing? _

**-End Flashback- **

That was how Hiei came to be at the apartment at that particular point in time. But why was Keiko there, and why was she so shaken? If ever there was a time he would come to regret not having his Evil Eye, it was then. It gave him the power to read minds, but he couldn't now. Not until he got it back at least. "Fight someone else." He hesitated and then said, "...I promise... I won't hurt you."

Keiko stopped squirming and broke into tears, leaning heavily on Hiei. He recalled a memory from his childhood when his adoptive mother would wrap her arms around Hiei because he was sad or crying. Hiei did that now, taking a cue from his mother. He wrapped his sore arms around Keiko and let her cry out her frustration on his shoulder, much like Kagome had let Hiei do.

"Where the hell have you been? I looked and I looked, I even searched the Spirit World and the Demon Realm for you, but you were gone. Koenma said he hadn't heard from you either, but you can't believe that bastard about anything can you? But Hiei," she sobbed, the picture of Yusuke being conjured up in her mind, broken as he had been, "oh Hiei, Yusuke is... He's... The Koenma that Yusuke always spoke of would never have done that."

Hiei tried to make sense of her words and when he had unscrambled them, he felt his heart not just skip a beat, but actually it felt like it was dancing a jig in his chest. Keiko claimed to have looked for him? But why? Why would she have cared if he was gone or not? All this thinking was giving him a headache.

What was that about Yusuke and Koenma? Hiei helped Keiko to sit down on the chair at the desk. "Calm down." he said in as close to a soothing voice as he could manage. It sounded more like a grunt, but seemed to have the desired effect for she quieted and took a kerchief from her jacket pocket, blowing hard into it.

"I saw him being dragged by some really grubby looking men out of Koenma's office. He was... he was naked save for the blanket he could barely hold around his shoulders... and so... so broken... He looked like he'd lost all hope... I don't know where he was being taken, but we have to find him! We have to!" Whether or not she realized she hadn't said who it was, is a fact that had yet to be determined.

Realizing he wouldn't be able to get her to speak so he would understand, he decided to bring in the big guns, so to say. He moved to stand--he had been kneeling beside the chair Keiko sat at--but a quick hand grasped his wrist. "Don't leave me, please."

"I'm only going to be gone a moment." He assured her. "Get yourself a glass of water and curl up on the bed." Oh dear, he had lost his marbles hadn't he? He had just offered his comfortable bed to someone else? What was wrong with him? He hastened to the door when she released him before he could change his mind on himself.

Slipping into the hallway he found Kagome playing with Akari on the floor. Chu had apparently come up from waiting in the vehicle. When he came out, Kagome stood immediately with Akari who said "Fa-herr" as soon as she saw Hiei. He grumbled something illiterate while Chu smirked at him behind Kagome's back. "What's the matter? Why is she upset?"

Hiei walked over to the two, keeping one eye on Chu--he still didn't trust the guy--and said, "She saw something and is afraid because of it."

"Well, that's obvious enough." Chu drawled, to which Hiei spat, "Stay out of this. It doesn't concern you."

"Please, don't argue." Kagome insisted. "Chu, here." She transferred Akari to the big man's capable hands. "I'll go talk to her, okay?" Before either of them could object, she had gone into the apartment. Kagome was used to being 'big sister' so much from the feudal era, even though it had been almost a year since she'd been there, that it was natural for her now.

"Aren't you going with her?" Chu inquired.

Hiei glared at him. "And leave you alone with her?" he pointed to Akari. "Think again, alchemist."

"Fa-herr! Fa-herr!" Akari giggled, attempting to eat Chu's suit coat.

Inside the apartment, Kagome looked around. Keiko was pulling her knees to her chin, sitting on the chair by the desk. Kagome approached her cautiously. Every bit of Keiko's soul screamed hysterical. From Kagome's experiences, hysterical people were unpredictable and sometimes even dangerous. "Keiko?" she called to the woman.

"I won't talk... I won't say a word..." Keiko bumbled out.

Kagome knelt in front of Keiko, placing her hands on Keiko's thighs, attempting to get Keiko to put her legs down so Kagome could see her face and hear her more clearly. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to." Kagome kept her tone warm and comforting. She smiled and pulled Keiko into a small embrace. The woman was shaking she was so afraid. What was she afraid of?

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**Eh, fifty smifty! Who even likes that anyway? I have noticed I have no patience for uncrazy rules. Not even for my own uncrazy rules! X.x**


	157. Crabby Pants Akari

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: View my profile for a link to my NaNoWriMo web user page. Please, please? I don't own your money, but I want to!__**

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Chapter 157: "Crabby Pants Akari"

**-Spirit World- **

Sesshoumaru approached his son, Koenma's office. Before he could get there, a woman who he recalled to be the Grim Reaper, approached him. She smiled at him in a bubbly manner and bobbed her head to him. As the Lady Death, she didn't have to show him respect, but she was a good enough person and addressed him as if she did. "Good afternoon, Your Majesty!" she said. "I've a message for you!"

Impatient, Sesshoumaru looked at her. "Well, let's have it then."

She dug into a bag he hadn't noticed she was carrying, the shuffling of papers being heard clearly. Her tongue stuck out in concentration and her hair, left down, hung in her face. "It's here somewhere. Ah-ha! Here we are! It's from Her Majesty." she shoved it into Sesshoumaru's hand.

A scowl instantly found its way onto Sesshoumaru's face as he looked at the neat handwriting on the envelope, sealed with the royal seal. Only Koenma and Sesshoumaru were supposed to use the privaledge of the royal seal. When he looked up, the bubbly woman had gone. He tore open the envelope and glanced at the contents, feeling ill at the heading.

"My dearest beloved husband," it started. "I feel we have neglected our relationship with each other. It is because of this that you did not understand me when I said to stay away from my son. So now, if you go near my Koenma, I will be forced to take drastic measures. Sincreily, Her Majesty Chieko." That spelling error was no mistake. He knew his wife enough to know that she had Rei. The woman was really starting to piss Sesshoumaru off. He crumpled the letter in his hand and glanced at the door a mere twenty feet from where he stood. It was open and through it he could see his son waving with a smirk.

"CHIEKO!" Sesshoumaru screamed and the very walls of the palace shook from the force of his voice. Reasonably it was why people believed him to be some sort of god, or one of the reasons. Demons in the rooms around him stopped their work to hide from his anger. He heard laughter following the sudden silence after the place stopped shaking. He looked at Koenma; it was the boy who laughed.

Sesshoumaru knew what Chieko was thinking. Seirra was dormant inside Rei, and if Chieko killed Rei, Seirra's spirit would be lost forever. It was the only remaining power Chieko had over Sesshoumaru: Sesshoumaru's undying love for Seirra, his first and only love. He forced himself to step back. If he didn't, surely it would be a terrible fate for Seirra. He hated the boy even more now than ever. Chieko was helping herself to more power than she should. He should have killed her years ago, damn it!

**-Human World- **

"Drink this. It will help with the shock." Kagome said, pressing a hot mug of steamed milk mixed with caramel for flavoring into Keiko's hands. They had returned to Kagome's house, her nameless friend had gathered all that was important to him. Kagome had managed to burn the milk a bit, so it tasted a bit bitter, inducing a type of shock in its own class but certainly managing to clear up all other kinds of brain fog (and killing brain cells, Kagome would be the first to admit).

Now they were in the kitchen, her and Keiko and Akari. Chu was showing Hiei to a room near Kagome's where he would be able to sleep and make his own. At least, Kagome hoped Chu would listen to her orders and place Hiei near her. If she wanted to find him, she didn't want to get lost in the effort. But the way the two had been glaring daggers at each other, she guessed she would have better luck learning her house before Chu obeyed _that_ order.

"I'm sorry, I freaked out back there. If you'd seen some of the things I've seen in the past few months..." Keiko sipped the drink and then gagged, looking like she'd just tasted vile liquid plastic while Kagome smiled wryly at what she'd said but said nothing and thought, If you knew what I have seen... you would not say something so foolish. "Yuck, what is this stuff?" Keiko stared at the brown liquid, coughing. "This could take paint off of walls, I'm sure of it."

Kagome's wry smile turned into a grin as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, I promise you it's just steamed caramel and soy milk. I've never been a good cook."

Still coughing, Keiko managed to say, "You'd make a great painter..."

"Think so?" Kagome asked, looking at her own mug. She took a sip of the vile stuff. She made it, she might as well drink it. No sense in wasting the milk, after all. "I don't think destiny will allow me a job as a painter though." Changing the subject, she said, "What things have you seen?"

Keiko did not pick up her mug again after that. She sat with her hands folded in her lap. Akari was in Kagome's lap, giggling as Kagome bounced her knees, holding the child carefully. Keiko turned the subject another direction and said, "How old is she now? Six months, right?"

Kagome looked down at Akari and accepted the subject change, kissing her baby on top of the head. "Six months and one week. Isn't she precious? We just took a bath this morning, and ate breakfast right after that, didn't we?"

Akari giggled and clapped her hands happily as though for all the world she understood. "I thought her neck wouldn't be solid enough for her to be bounced like that." Keiko paused, hesitating, but then said, "Especially since she was born premature four months. By all rights, she certainly doesn't look like she's going to be retarded." By retarded, she of course meant 'challenged in both a physical and intellectual way'; it was not at all her intention to be rude.

"No, she doesn't does she? She's so smart. I can see it in her eyes every time I look at her. I believe she will do wonderful things one day." Akari reached for the drink that Kagome was forcing down. "I know she doesn't have teeth yet, but I think I might try a sippy cup with her soon. And she just loves bananas, you know the baby food jar kind that's all mashed up?"

Kagome pushed the cup farther away to be on the safe side, and to distract Akari, she pulled a small toy from the pocket of her apron, a useful thing to wear when one is a mother, she had found out. This one was white and had three pockets in it. The toy rattled and was soft for Akari to chew on.

"Is it hard?" Keiko wanted to know. "I mean, being a mom and everything? And how come Akari's dad isn't around, or does he work at this time of day? Oh, nevermind, stupid question really. This must be his house, huh?" Keiko dusted imaginary specks off the countertop while she glanced at the immense kitchen. And this was just the kitchen too. The dining hall seated two-hundred-fifty people or more depending on how the tables were set up. Kagome had only gone in there once.

"It's not a stupid question," Kagome responded amiably with a small forward tilt of her head as though saying 'I understand why you ask'. "No, not at all, in fact. See, Akari Dekage does not have a father." She gently pushed Akari's arm down so the child would not pick at her ear. Akari had taken to doing that recently. "This house is mine, bought for me by my brother as a sort of baby shower gift."

"Of course, by that you mean her father left you?" Keiko struggled to understand. She knew they were in the Demon Realm, so what was Kagome, a human, doing living in the Demon Realm? Didn't she know that dangerous people lived here? She must have known it unless she never left her home. Did Kagome even know that demons existed? She must if Yusuke was her cousin and fought them all the time, and Hiei was her friend... What was that tiny smile on Kagome's face? It was like Kagome knew something that Keiko did not, and it bothered the other woman.

"I'll let you believe what you will." Kagome said, turning her head and brushing her hair over her shoulder on her left side. If people wanted to believe that Kagome went and got herself pregnant in the conventional way, they wouldn't want to hear the truth. They would believe what they wanted to hear. She finished her drink off and moved Akari from her lap onto the countertop, touching one finger to the baby's nose. "You stay here. Don't crawl around or you'll fall. Do you understand me, Akari Dekage?" she asked the baby.

Akari's eyes were crossed from looking at the fingertip on her cute little button nose. Kagome had dressed the child all in pink, even though she wasn't ever fond of pink that much. She had taken the last kimono that Ryuichi gave her that had come with her across the well and attempted to make an outfit for Akari out of it, since her own mother had always made Kagome's clothes when she was a child. It just made Kagome feel so good knowing that she was able to sew--even if not very well. Her stitches were askew in places, but Akari seemed to love the outfit and perfection did come with practice. (At her rate, she would need a lot of it, she thought).

The outfit was designed like a western style dress with a small bodice, a sash that tied in the back, and a wide spread for the base so Akari wouldn't be too restricted. Kagome removed her finger from her daughter's nose and turned her back on the child, moving to the sink with both her and Keiko's mugs, despite Keiko hadn't touched it but for the once. Kagome didn't blame the other woman: her stomach was already protesting to the drink.

"Are you sure that's safe?" Keiko asked. "She's just six months old. She won't understand you." Kagome heard Akari drop her toy off the countertop and Keiko bent to pick it up, giving it back to the child who had leaned over the edge to see where her toy had gone. It was one of her favorite games to play with her mother: Drop-See-Pick'em'up.

"Akari Dekage is a smart baby, even if she was born premature. She knows when she's been told to do something, and she doesn't disobey me. You might find that odd, but it's true." Kagome filled the sink only one-fourth of the way full. There were a few dishes that needed to be washed that Chu had not gotten to yet: those dishes from breakfast and the two mugs along with the few dishes Kagome dirtied to make the fairly nasty concoction. "I realized this when she started crawling and she nearly fell off my bed. I told her never to get close enough that she could fall and get hurt and since then she hasn't."

Keiko had been staring at Kagome for a minute, or at least at Kagome's back anyway. When a toy hit her smack dab in the side of the face, she turned to look at the child who had thrown it. The toy fell into Keiko's lap and the baby army crawled across the table to see where it had landed, giggling. Keiko thought, 'Evil baby,' but said nothing about it, massaging her temple. She handed the toy back, against her own better judgement.

Now Akari sat up and threw the toy in the opposite direction and it bounced off the edge of the counter onto the floor. She went to see where it had gone. Kagome rinsed the dishes and put them in the strainer on the counter so they could airdry. She dried her hands on the edge of her apron and turned to watch Akari with alert eyes. Keiko wanted to get up and stop Akari; every inch of her mind screamed to stop the child from moving.

When Akari got too close to the edge of the counter, Kagome called in a sharp warning tone that somehow remained quiet, "Akari Dekage Nishi Higurashi, what did I tell you?" Before Kagome had even said 'Dekage' the child had stopped and looked back at her mother guiltily, the look striking Keiko as hard as a slap, but far more amazing.

"Bababa..." The little girl said in gibberish, to which Kagome responded, "Don't you take that tone with me, young lady. I won't stand for it, and you know very well that I won't." Akari lay her head on the countertop and started crying, softly at first, but then it turned into an all out bawl. Kagome stepped over to her, picking her up. "If you're going to act like that, then it is nap time."

"Oh, Kagome don't do that!" Keiko said. "She's just six months old. She probably wants to be held is all!"

Kagome glanced at Keiko and then turned to her completely, sighing. Akari was still screaming as if her life depended on it. "Please try to understand, Keiko. I'm raising a child on my own for the most part. Chu helps me a little, but it's pretty much all me. I found a way that seems to be working, and I'm not going to change it. She'll calm down, or she'll take a nap and calm down. That's how it has to be."

Keiko didn't protest after that and Kagome excused herself, letting Keiko know she would be right back, leaving the kitchen to take the back stairs up to the second floor where the master bedroom was. She walked down the hall and turned into her room, putting the crib railing down one-handed, the other occupied with the squirming, screaming six-month old. Indeed, for just being six months out of the womb, and premature at that, she was small but inconcievably developed.

Kagome tucked her in and tapped Akari's nose with the tip of her finger. "Go to sleep, Akari Dekage. Take a nap. I don't want to see Miss Crabby-Pants. No one wants to." After she had gone to the dresser and turned on the child monitor, Kagome walked to the door of the room, shutting it behind her. Her child's screams faded a little, and Kagome turned on the pocket monitor that she carried in her apron. How she had ever missed the usefulness of an apron, she would never know.

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**Crazy scarves and monkey lard!**


	158. Eavesdropping Kagome

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: View my profile for a link to my NaNoWriMo web user page. Please, please? I don't own your money, but I want to!__**

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**_

Chapter 158: Eavesdropping Kagome

Walking down the hall of her home on her way back to Keiko, she was brought up short by the sounds of voices in the kitchen. The door was open just a crack. She debated with herself between eavesdropping and not. It was so rude! But whispers were being said in her house... didn't she deserve to know what those whispers were? And wasn't 'eavesdropping' one of those things that Secret-Keepers did?

She didn't realize she had made up her mind until she had finished walking down the stairs, turning off the now-silent baby monitor in her pocket in the meanwhile. Just as she had expected, Akari had gone to sleep just moments after Kagome had shut the door to the room. She was amazed at herself and how quiet she could make herself, almost feeling invisible.

She peered into the room through the small area where the door was ajar. Chu sat at the table drinking grape juice. Hiei stood against the wall near the door to the freezer, which actually went into the wall like those of industrial kitchens. Keiko sat where she had been when Kagome had been in the room with her. Her back was to Kagome.

"--could be anywhere." Keiko was saying. "I did my best not to let Koenma know, and I think he believes that I don't care at all. All I know is they were throwing him in the Human World and that they had been told to 'set a few dogs on him'. I missed the rest of it." Keiko stretched as if she had gotten a huge weight off her shoulders.

"Why the Human World? It's much easier to dispose of a body if you throw it off the edge of the Spirit World. Everyone knows that." Hiei inquired thoughtfully, seeming to be trying to make sense of a puzzle that wasn't quite coming to him. Kagome thought, the Spirit World? What's that?

"Or even in the Demon Realm it'd be easier. Hell, it'd be like throwing a single piece of meat to three ravenous dogs if they did it, all there'd be left is bones." Keiko added, further confusing Kagome. There was a world separate for Demons and Humans? Wha-?

"How d'yeh know tha'?" Chu demanded. "Yer jus' a li'l girl. Wha'd'yeh know anyway?"

"I know as much as I need to know to survive, and I learn more if I don't know enough." Keiko responded dully. "You'd see it from my point of view too if you were thrown into the middle of three Ogre clan warparties and told to settle it. Can we get back to the main topic?"

"Alrigh' then. A'll go talk t' Mrs. Hig'rashi. 'Less she needs som'at done, she'll let me go out, A'm sure, an' A'll find th' kid." Chu said. Kagome had never heard him talk like that before come to think of it. He had always talked intelligent-like. Kind of like Miroku, in a way, who had clearly come from a less-than wealthy family, though everyone thought he was from some distant lord's home, a second or third son who had become a monk. When Miroku got really heated up, or wanted to sound threatening in an open way, he reverted to his old, untrained speech.

"Wait a minute, Chu." Hiei spat his dislike of having to say the name right onto the floor. Kagome rolled her eyes, wondering what it was with people and spitting when they were angry or discontent. "Why are you bothering?"

Chu looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he said, "Her Ladyship would have m' head if Ah just left 'im there. 'Specially when 'e could be so useful, an' mayhap provide some insight on th' new prince. O'course, I doubt 'e'll be much. Still..." He scratched his scraggly chin. Who was 'Her Ladyship' Kagome wondered. Did he mean Kagome? No, surely not! No one in this time, save for Sesshoumaru, seemed to know that Kagome was his Second Chief Advisor, and that the markings on her face depicted that as if the words themselves had been tattooed onto her forehead.

"That's not the only reason is it?" Keiko asked hotly. "Just because he'd be 'useful'? If that's why you'll help me, just because he can 'be useful', then thanks, but no thanks, I don't think he needs that. Not with all he's been through. You won't harm him, and if I have to get rid of you to make sure of it, I will." She looked thoroughly ruffled. If she were a dog, her hackles would have been up and she would have been growling. Who knows, maybe she already was.

Hiei glared at Chu so hard that if looks could kill, Chu might be dead ten times by now. However, Kagome was sure she saw something in his eyes that was directed toward someone else, someone who was not there. Chu seemed to understand Hiei's gaze, for he said, "Her Ladyship will take care o' 'im and yeh can talk t' 'im yerself."

There was an extended period of silence, in which Kagome used this moment to sneak away from the door and up to the top of the stairs. Then she made her way down the stairs again, being careful to stumble a bit so that if they heard her, they would think she was just approaching, and turning on her child monitor.

Her heart was beating faster than it should be. Why? Because she had just learned something that she was positive Sesshoumaru was hiding from her: there were three different worlds somehow. Kagome wasn't sure what the Spirit World was, but the Demon Realm sounded like a place where demons would for the most part make their home. And the Human World was, of course, the place where Humans would live, wasn't it?

What had happened to make it so the world that had once been lived in by both Humans and Demons to become separated? And why, why, was Naraku, evil incarnate in itself, on the same side that Kagome was on? Kagome slid open the door and two of the three heads in the room turned to her. Hiei never flinched, he stayed staring down at his feet as if they were the most interesting things he had ever seen.

She wondered about that. Her nameless friend was a demon. And so was Kurama, and her butler. So what kept all the evil demons who bent themselves on ruling the world from just entering the Human World and taking over? Clearly there was a way to get from one world to the next since clearly there were demons in the Human World. And then she had to ask herself, what made her so sure she was even in the Human World? What if she was in the Spirit World or the Demon Realm and she didn't even know it?

She smiled despite her worries. "Akari Dekage is sleeping," she announced, as if for all the world it had been the only thing she ever worried about, even though to be honest, that couldn't be farther from the truth. She looked at Keiko, who was turned awkwardly on her stool so she could see Kagome. "Oh, I forgot to ask! Were you going to stay the evening? I won't mind if you do." Not to mention if you do, I can attempt to eavesdrop more and perhaps find out more about these three worlds, she thought.

Keiko bowed her head gratefully, "I would be delighted to stay, but only tonight. I have school tomorrow morning yet."

Kagome clapped her hands together and beamed positively at the other girl. "Wonderful! Sesshoumaru is coming to visit tonight, which means I'll disappear for perhaps two hours for my lessons, but I'm sure you both could use that time to get yourselves settled in your rooms. Chu?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

'Her Ladyship' definitely did not mean Kagome. Not if he would call her Mrs. Higurashi around others, and 'ma'am' when he spoke to her directly. So then, who? "Would you please show Keiko to a room where she may sleep tonight? After that, you may take leave of the evening." There, she had given the opening for him to leave.

"But dinner, Mrs. Higurashi." Chu protested, looking faintly surprised she seemed to forget about it.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Sesshoumaru has promised to teach me how to cook tonight. You don't have to cater to my every step you know." It was not completely true. Sesshoumaru had not promised to teach her how to cook, but convincing him to do so wouldn't be very hard at all. All she would have to do was ask, and like a dog, he would jump to perform. It seemed like Sesshoumaru would do anything for Kagome, even hang himself, though she was hesitant to try that command out.

A loud bell began to chime the sixth hour of the evening and Chu stood and gulped his juice down, moving over to the sink to rinse out his cup and set it on the counter where it would remain until he returned. He had a clear look of confusion on his face as to why she would just give him leave for the evening, so she answered the unasked question before they began to wonder if she heard them talking, though she did so in a way that wouldn't be obvious. "How is your friend doing, Chu?"

"My friend?" he asked, still confused and obviously unaware of how much she had just told him with those two words. A smile of triumph wanted to spread across her face. He wasn't going to visit any friend, ever. He just used it as an excuse to get out of the house.

Instead of smiling, she gave him a look of extreme exasperation, at the same time being sure to look clueless to the clue he had given her. "The friend you visit when you go out, of course. You told me he had been really sick, remember? That was when I gave you those herbs to help settle his stomach."

"Oh! Oh, my friend! Uh, yeah, he's, erm, great! You really worked wonders on him, Mrs. Higurashi. Er, yeah those herbs really helped him." Chu stammered.

With still that clueless look in her eyes, yet at the same time a thoughtful expression on her face, Kagome tapped her chin with one finger, her arm crossing her stomach. "Oh, that's right. I didn't give you any herbs because you declined my offer of them. How strange... did you change your mind and take them anyway?" Chu looked like she'd backed him into a corner and he couldn't shove her out of the way, even though she was on the other end of the room as he was. She waved her hand dismissively and said, "Oh, don't even worry about it."

Footsteps walking toward the kitchen alerted the four adults that someone else was in the house. Kagome recognized the weight of the footsteps on the floor to be Sesshoumaru's and felt her heart leap with giddiness. While she had mostly gotten over her crush on him, she was still always glad to see him. He entered the kitchen through the main doors that swung on hinges both ways instead of through a sliding servant's entrance like Kagome.

Chu looked relieved that he was there to 'distract' Kagome away from the current line of subject. It didn't matter to Kagome if the subject was changed; she had gotten what she needed in those few moments through his reactions to her questions.

Hiei had looked up during the exchange, his head had been going back and forth between Chu and Kagome with what appeared to be amusement on his face. Now his attention was turned to Sesshoumaru, whose tattooes were gone as usual, but his piercing, gorgeous golden eyes and long silky snowy silver hair remained the same as ever. Keiko had picked at her nails throughout the exchange, and even now she didn't look up as if the newcomer wasn't worth her while.

Kagome watched as Sesshoumaru's eyes scanned the room, or more accurately, the people in the room. It was very unusual for Kagome to have company aside from him. Now Kagome had not one, but two new faces in the house, which was a big deal after six months of near complete seclusion. It was her choice to remain at home. Sesshoumaru told her all the time that she didn't have to, and Chu would take her anywhere she wanted to go.

Kagome broke the silence first, " Chu, if you would please show my friends to their quarters?" To Keiko and Hiei, she apologized, "I have lessons now, but in two hours, I will come to you and we'll have dinner." Hiei's eyes were sharp and narrowed with suspicion, but he followed Chu nonetheless.

When they had gone, Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at Kagome in silence, wondering what she was up to. He knew very well that she had no lessons that evening. Tonight was a social call. He crossed the distance between him and her and reached out to wrap her in a warm embrace. She couldn't help but let a mischievous little smile dance on her face as she stepped away from him and his hug.

He pouted silently, to which she laughed. "If I let you hug me all the time, you'll get spoiled, won't you? Come to my room."

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**Crazy shoes and monkey poo.**


	159. Beads of Subjugation

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: View my profile for a link to my NaNoWriMo web user page. Please, please? I don't own your money, but I want to!__**

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Chapter 159: The Powerful Beads of Subjugation

He followed her up the servant's stair to the second floor and into the master bedroom, where he closed and locked the door, a far cry from the normal, since he rarely closed the door on their social callings.

Something about her today seemed... really warm. Something attracted him dangerously. He knew he loved Seirra more than anything, but the love he had for Kagome seemed different today somehow and he wasn't sure if this was a good thing that led him to locking the door.

The bathroom door was open, but there was only the locked, hidden servant's entrance to the bathroom, and the main one that led into Kagome's room. There were two secret exits out of the large master bedroom, both of them locked as well as they had been for ages. He knew the layout of this mansion better than anyone. He should. He had designed it himself.

Kagome was shuffling through the papers on her rather messy desk, all her school work. Her hips swayed a bit. The news that Chieko had Rei, and Seirra's spirit, was still in his mind, planting little seeds of fury everywhere. All that fury was pent up energy that wanted to be released somehow. He hadn't been this angry since he had first met Chieko, and at least then he could go out and kill rampant demons. Now he'd have to kill all of the Demon Realm of demons just to get his fill, which would likely be really bad.

"Here, Se," Kagome started, but he didn't give her a chance to finish. In less than a second he had grabbed her up, turned her around, and kissed her. At first, she was surprised at him. Usually he was gentle, but now he was being fairly rough. She knew immediately that something was wrong, but he was far too strong for her. Her papers fluttered to the floor. It would take forever to order them again: two of them had been long essays, and she hadn't numbered their pages.

She was being manhandled, she realized with no small amount of fright. She took it back though: He was too strong for her as a human. As a priestess? She would not stand for this! She was so angry at him at the moment. All laughter had gone from her. A door in her opened: her power was willing to be molded how she liked. Mathematics be damned. She pushed her power out through her fingertips, braiding ropes of it that forcefully tied his hands behind his back. Her ropes were pulling him to the ground, anchoring themselves there.

When she could see his face properly again, she was shocked. His eyes had bled red, as if he was halfway to transforming. She didn't care how big her home was, he would bring it down if he transformed. He was snarling at her as though he didn't know who she was. She brought her magic up and around him, cloaking him with it. When it didn't seem to be enough still, she changed her mind and turned around, opening the top middle drawer in her desk.

There, a single black and white rosary lay, made of the most powerful components she could find to match him. Usually the beads were blue or purple with the white fangs, but she had found black stone beads that proved to be more effective for holding spells. She wrapped her hand around it and through her hand she filled each and every bead and fang with her power. "Restrain him!" she cried, waking Akari. The child started crying at being woken up, but the bead necklace flew on magical wings and settled itself around the struggling man's neck. "Sit, boy!"

Sesshoumaru twitched on the ground as a little jolt of purifying magic coursed through him. He began to cry like the child in the crib. Kagome wouldn't move toward him, she went and got her child, picking her up. She glared at the pitious form on the floor. She imagined it must be painful for him. Little jolts of purifying magic would continue to soar through him until he wasn't angry anymore, though never enough that it would tear him apart. She would never do that to him!

"How dare you?" she hissed, angrily slamming the lock undone. "I would have expected that from anyone but you! If you ever, ever, attempt to take out your anger on me again..." she slammed the door shut behind her, leaving him on her papers and not even finishing her sentence. She was so mad, but mostly at herself. How did she miss his fury? And why did it have to come out like that? Would he have gone as far as to rape her?

She shushed Akari gently as she walked down the hall. Her lips were sore. Bruised, even, she was sure. Sesshoumaru had bitten her bottom lip. She brushed her thumb across it, still angry. Her power flowed easily into the wound and healed it so well there was not even a scar to show for it. She didn't wonder why she could access her power so well when the day before at that time she had been unable to even light a candle with it, which was supposed to be the most basic of basics. Some types of anger narrowed a person's focus so well that the most difficult and impossible of tasks became easy.

Kagome hid away in the room that would be Akari's as soon as it was finished being decorated so that Kagome could free up the half of her room that was filled with baby clothes in folded piles, and child toys. Akari needed a dresser for her clothes, and a toy chest for her toys. She had a bed, which would be disassembled and reassembled in the room. She had forgotten her plan of eavesdropping.

Kagome sat in the rocking chair. The bedroom was locked all the time and only Kagome had the key for it. It wasn't a normal key, but rather was a skeleton key, very old fashioned and yet, brand new. Kagome had chosen it for the door personally when the old lock needed to be taken off so they could even get in the room. The first key had been lost.

Through the baby monitor in her apron pocket, Kagome heard Sesshoumaru's cries of pain, and her heart went out to him. It really did. She didn't care how strong a demon Sesshoumaru was. It was his own strength that decided how powerful the bursts of purifying energy would be. He controlled the rosary. Kagome only turned it on. He was the only one who could turn it off, and it wouldn't turn off until he had purged himself of the anger he had pent up for whatever reason.

"Shh," she hushed Akari. "You're such a good girl, aren't you? You took a nap. Mommy is sorry she woke you up." Akari stopped crying slowly falling back to sleep as Kagome rocked her. When Akari had fallen asleep, Kagome remembered she had to make dinner and so she got up and made her way to the kitchen. She turned off and left the baby monitor in Akari's room, locking the room back up. Akari was still in her arms.

In the kitchen, Kagome laid a flour towel on the counter and set Akari down on her back so the child could sleep, covering Akari up with another towel. She made up her mind to hurry up and get Akari's room cleaned up. There was no reason Akari should have to be woken up like that again. She began to look in the cupboards for what she would make for dinner.

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**Crazy dogs and monkey logs!**


	160. Your First Crush

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Happy Thanksgiving. I've said "I don't own" enough times. I refuse to say it anymore in this fanfiction. Anyone reports my story for that, well, it aint coming back. Lemme tell YOU.__**

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Chapter 160: Your First Crush

**-Elsewhere- **

Keiko looked at Hiei for a long moment. Just minutes before he had arrived and without hesitation she had let him in. He seemed to have something to say, but he wasn't sure how to word it. She waited, but as she did so, she turned back to her history report for Mister Buns, the college level history teacher.

For spring semester, she had been bumped up into college level classes, but that meant keeping top-notch grades. If even one of them slipped, she would be kicked back down into High School level, and the chance to start college while remaining in High School--in other words doing college for free--would not come again. She had a future to think about.

She scratched down notes from her history book while Hiei sat on the bed in her room. He had closed the bedroom door. They had spent an hour alone, but there was still another hour left before Kagome would come with news to join her for supper, and neither wanted to aggravate their hostess by disrupting her at her lessons. Still, one would have thought it would have been Keiko who came a-knocking, not the other way around.

Finally Keiko said, "I saw how you look at her. That's why you've come here, isn't it?" She didn't turn her head to look at him right away, but finished up her paragraph first. Hiei was blushing ever-so faintly. She chuckled. She had been right. "Well, there's not much to it." she told him honestly.

She continued, "When you feel ready for it, just gently press your lips to hers. If she slaps you, that means she doesn't return your feelings. And you can't retaliate if she does slap you. That's against the rules." She turned back to her work, picking up her blue ink pen, and moved her report towards her from the corner of the desk.

"What if she doesn't slap me?" his voice was so soft she had to strain to hear it.

"Then let her make the next move. Once she makes her move, you can make yours. It's like... a one on one battle. Sort of. But without the threat of death as would be the case if you're involved at any rate. That's how fast things can get going. Does your room have a desk too?" she inquired, not looking at him.

"But it's not a battle. It can't be one. I won't hurt her." Hiei said.

Keiko sighed and put her pen down, rubbing her temples. Why was she saddled with people who refused to learn anything on their own just by fumbling around? Of course, she supposed Hiei, having been alive for a hundred years or more and still not knowing a thing about women, probably felt he was unworthy of anyone of the opposite sex. She needed to be patient.

She stood and moved over to the bed, sitting next to him. He stared at his feet like they were the most interesting things ever. She was surprised he actually had come to her about this. Guys usually went to guys to talk about girl problems. Of course, Hiei didn't have all that many guy friends who wouldn't laugh at him for knowing zip to nothing about girls. He didn't have all that many friends period. And Yusuke was out of the question to ask. Kurama was who-knows-where. Kuwabara had moved to another school district.

She placed her fingers under his chin, urging him to look at her. "You don't have to hurt her. It's best if you don't, as a matter of fact." She told him, and proceeded to show him what she meant. She touched her lips to his. This was the kind of help Hiei would never be able to get from a guy friend. He was as stiff as a board, she noticed drily. "Relax, would you? It's hard to show you what I mean if you're as stiff as a stuck pig." He looked back down at his feet. "Why don't you give it a shot this time. I'm Kagome, you're me."

"I don't want you kissing Kagome." He grumbled irritably.

Keiko flung herself backwards on her bed with exasperation. "You're such a nincompoop!" she groaned. "I'm not kissing Kagome. You're the one who likes her. I swear it's like... You know what?" she sat up abruptly and stood. "I'm not going to even bother." She wasn't going to help someone who was unwilling to accept it. Here she was, degrading herself and her heritage as a witch by trying to teach a demon (and an idiot one at that, she swore it!) what he should do to 'get the girl' and he was acting like a junior high-schooler.

Hiei stood quickly, grabbing her wrist. "Wait, don't go back to your work." She looked at him. The pleading look was way out of place on his face, but it was just so adorable she couldn't have said no if she wanted to. She looked down at him and nodded. "Pretend I'm Kagome." Keiko said. She still couldn't understand why Kagome hadn't noticed it. Hiei struggled so hard to hide it from himself that it was in plain sight to everyone else.

Hiei fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, staring at everything except Keiko. "Oh would you just get it over with?" Keiko snapped. She needed all the time she could get on her history report. Here she was taking precious time to teach him, and he was wasting it! Hmph. Men. No sense of time at all, she swore it.

Hiei grimaced and looked up at Keiko. Why was it she seemed so much more powerful now? It wasn't the witch factor either. If he had his Jagan, his Evil Eye, he could have just extracted the information right from her. But no, idiot Koenma had to remove it.

In a Kagome-fied voice, Keiko asked him, "Was there something you needed? Are you uncomfortable?"

Hiei heaved a sigh and seemed to decide that it wouldn't get done unless he did it. Quite a concept, Keiko was sure. She rolled her eyes as Hiei reached up to attempt it. Both Keiko and Kagome were a full head taller than him, though, so if it was this hard for him to practice on Keiko, how hard would it be for him for Kagome? He managed it, but with more than a few difficulties.

Keiko turned away from him. "Grow a few inches. Until then, you'd have to either make her bend to you, which would hurt her most likely, or wait until she's sitting." She hesitated a moment, but then asked, "Is she your first?"

"First what?" Hiei's shoulders were slumped. He hated being so short. He debated getting stilts and walking around on them, but that would put him at a disadvantage in a fight more than his short legs did. He knew he sounded miserable, but he couldn't help it. He was miserable. He had finally come to terms with the fact that he really liked Kagome, as in like liked. And now he was too short to do anything about it!

Keiko lowered her voice a little more. "Your first crush?"

"Crush? The hell you talking about woman?" Hiei demanded, lifting his head to glare at her.

Keiko decided it would be best to reword what she said. She thought carefully about how best to term it. "How old are you?" she was curious to know.

"I'm over five hundred twenty human years old, but I age like an ice elemental, so in their years I'm almost twenty, maybe." He responded. "Pure fire elementals age faster than pure ice elementals, but since I'm both I get the joy of aging like an ice elemental, which means I get more years of abuse and solitude." He sounded very excited about that.

"In all your years living, have you ever felt for a woman like you do with Kagome?" He looked thoughtful for a moment and slowly shook his head. "You're lying." Keiko said abruptly. "You have to be."

Hiei looked at Keiko with a hard expression on his face. "Why do I 'have to be' lying? Men and women threw stones at me for what I am. I could never have gotten close to a female if I wanted to. Their men used me as a punching bag if I did. You didn't grow up in the Demon Realm. You don't know just how violent these dogs can get if you give them a scrap of meat."

Keiko closed her mouth and then opened it again. "You don't have to go near someone to have a crush on them." she told him. "Who is the woman in your notebook? There's a lot of similar drawings of her. Did you do them?"

"She's a demon exterminator. Her name is Lady Sango, she's mated to Lord Ryuichi, and she taught me to look after myself. I never felt like this about her, and yes I drew them." Hiei said all in one breath. He sat back on the bed, looking at his hands. "She tries to check up on me, make sure I'm not getting myself arrested or anything, but Lord Ryuichi keeps her running around quite well. I thought I saw them six months ago, but it wasn't them. It was a set of impostors."

"Ah." Keiko sighed. "Well, you could outright tell Kagome that you like her you know. But I'm going to warn you now: she'll be looking for a steady relationship because she won't want Akari to have to deal with her dating one man one night and another the next. That means she'll want to know completely and utterly without any having second-guesses that she's the only one you'll come home to at night."

"Why wouldn't she know that?"

Keiko wondered how best to phrase it. Deciding on a way, she said, "Does anyone really know what you think unless you tell them? You read our minds, not the other way around. Not even a telepath could read your mind because your elements oppose each other so much and would create a backlash wave that would kill them." He looked surprised at that. "Didn't you know that?" She guessed not. He stood and jammed his hands in his pockets, looking more troubled than when he had come, and stalked from the room.

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**Love and Peace! Love and Peace! Love and... monkey attack!**


	161. Keiko's Report

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I walk a lonely road. Don't know where it goes, but I walk alone. Who am I? __**

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Chapter 161: Keiko's Report

**-Elsewhere- **

Kagome put the finishing touches on the table with a happy sigh. When cooking had proved not to be working, she had been so mad that she just left the house with Akari on her hip and their jackets to ward away the summer breeze, walking through the gate to her mansion, and walking toward the small village that Chu had mentioned existed somewhere nearby. Basically she followed the road in the opposite direction from the way Chu drove that morning to take Kagome and Hiei to his apartment.

Within ten minutes, she and Akari had entered the village, and they were greeted with kind but obviously demon faces. Several of them shouted hello to her and asked if she was lost and needed help getting back to the barrier. Some of them proceeded to announce that her baby was the cutest they had ever seen. She was surprised, but it was a pleasant one. And it confirmed that she wasn't in Kansas anymore.

"Hello!" she greeted one woman who had a child on her hip as well, though her child was a boy and seemed a few years older than Akari. The woman did look a little ragged, and her clothes had once fit a person much larger than she. Her child cried and his stomach grumbled noisily. Both of them were a little dirty.

The mother held a blanket around the two of them that was dirtier than both of them put together. She had short purple hair, cropped to her ears and a sad look in her teal eyes. She had high cheekbones and a full mouth surrounded by old laughlines. A white ivory horn about eight inches long spiraled out of her forehead. Crows feet stretched out from her eyes. She was beautiful...once.

Her good looks had passed to her child, his horn however was only an inch long. His hair was curly instead of straight like his mothers, and a darker shade of purple. The shape of his eyes was more like walnuts instead of almond shaped like his mother's. He was tired, that much Kagome could tell. He clearly wanted to lie down.

The woman looked at her warily, taking note of Kagome's clean white apron that covered a yellow sundress and the new spring sandals. She didn't look at Kagome with the same awe that the people of the past era had done, so Kagome guessed--gladly--that these people didn't know she was the Second Chief Advisor. Then the woman looked back toward the mansion that stood mutely against the dark sky, only some of the windows lit up.

She seemed to come to a conclusion and she curtsied as much as she could with a child on her hip. "Mi'lady..." she bustled away as if Kagome had the plague. Confused, Kagome looked to the others, who were likewise bowing or dipping a hasty curtsy, and hastily going about their business as if she would reprimand them. She looked back to the mansion. What had the woman seen?

And then she saw it. The mansion was a dark beacon on the hilltop. Few of the windows were lit with light, and those were the few that likely remained on all the time. The mansion had four towers, one to the north, one to the south, one to the east, and one to the west.

It was like the mansion was built to be a sort of miniature version of Sesshoumaru's old and rather ugly castle in the past era, though this one was much better looking. And then yet again, it wasn't. It was the exact replica of Kagome's opposite's mansion, of Ka's mansion, or whoever must be her opposite now. She saw movement in the south tower where one light was lit. It was the only one of the towers that had a light in it, and she guessed that was where Chu had placed Hiei.

That house was so large, and it was occupied by so few people. It was placed on a rise where dangers of flooding would not affect it, but these people were at the bottom of it and floods would decimate their crops if they farmed, their businesses, their everything. Their whole lives would be completely destroyed. There was enough land inside the walls of that dark mansion to rebuild three of these small villages, and yet here these people sat, in harm's way should it choose to come calling.

Kagome sighed and promised herself that would be remedied. Besides that, the dining hall Kagome had would likely seat the capacity of those housed in the mansion. And if the village was moved inside the mansion, there would be more farming land for those who clearly were farmers. She would have to talk to the mayor of the village about that, but right now she had come to get dinner.

She followed her nose to the market and without further accord, she had purchased a delicious looking variety of foods she had never even seen before. Akari had been awake before she had left the mansion and now she was talking animatedly to Kagome in multiple series of 'baba's and 'bvmm's. Kagome saw the little boy and his mother sitting on a bench outside the market. They were wrapped in a thick blanket which his mother hid them under when Kagome came out.

Kagome looked at the bare feet of the woman that stuck out from the blanket and moved to sit on the other end of the bench. "Don't you have a home?" she asked, setting her groceries beside her and moving Akari to her lap. "It's getting late, and dark."

The woman peeked her head out and then sighed and pulled the blanket down until her head could be completely seen. Both her and her son looked hungry. "Begging pardon, yer Ladyship, but Miho 'n' me ain't got no place to go. Use t' cook fer th' deli down yon. Was no great pay 'n' I was th' bes' there was, but then they closed up, see, an' me mate deli'ered th' great smack an' up an' left us fer anothur. In th' snowy months, ol' Brindag lets us in, see, but we does her cleanin' an' cookin' an' she let us sleep on 'er floor. Now th' snow's gone, see, so we stay's here in th' evenin'."

"Why don't you get another job?" Kagome wanted to know. She had known there were other mothers out there worse off than she. She just never expected to actually encounter one.

"None'll hire me, o'cus o' what me mate did." The woman said sadly. "I tried movin' away, but th' people in other towns say I's a whore, so I come back where at leas' none'll call me a whore."

"Hmph. That's ridiculous." Kagome stood, placing Akari back on her hip. "I'll hire you then. You and Miho, was it?" The woman looked skeptical, but nodded that it was. She probably thought Kagome would leave her there and say she'd come back for her, but then never do that. "You and Miho can both come to live at the mansion. You can cook for me, and I'll pay you and give you free room and boarding. Heavens know I have enough room."

"Mi'lady, shall I come to you in the morning?" the woman asked. Her son sniffled and shivered.

"If now isn't a good time, I suppose you can come in the morning. I don't see why you shouldn't just come now. Oh, you know, I never got your name! I'm Kagome Higurashi." Kagome introduced herself.

"Kawi!" Akari announced proudly.

Kagome smiled and kissed Akari on the forehead. "And this is Akari Dekage, my daughter. She absolutely refuses to say 'mommy' don't you?" Akari stuffed her thumb in her mouth and giggled.

The woman gulped and stood, dipping another curtsy. "Begging yer pardons, Lady. I thought yeh t' be on'y a cook or som'at fer th' Lady. But yer th' Lady!"

Kagome laughed. "Stand up, stand up. I don't hold to such nonsense. If we spend all day bowing and curtsying, we'll never get anything done. What's your name?" She bent and picked up the bag of groceries, balancing it on her other hip.

"Datii. Datii Bee, if it please yeh Lady." She had set her son down and moved to take Kagome's groceries, but Kagome skipped out of reach, making Akari giggle at the movement. "I was gonna--" she started.

Kagome interrupted her, "I know exactly what you were going to do and it isn't necessary. Miho is exhausted. Carry him instead."

Now they were back at the mansion and while Kagome set Akari in a high-chair, Datii and Miho were bathing. Datii would dress herself in one of Kagome's nightdresses and Miho would be dressed in just one of Kagome's shirts for now, and in the morning, clothes would be purchased that would fit them both. After they finished bathing, they would eat in the kitchen.

Kagome figured they would prefer the peace and quiet to the arguement she could foresee happening between her and Sesshoumaru. She had checked on him. He had still been suffering, but there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't remove the rosary yet. She wanted to, but he was still so angry that if she removed it he would transform and bring the house down around their ankles.

That had been ten minutes ago. The table was set and Datii and Miho had come down the stairs. Kagome looked at Datii and smiled. "Would you keep an eye on Akari, please? I have to go get my dinner guests. When I return, you two may eat in the kitchen and then retire to the room I showed you that will be yours." Datii nodded and Kagome made her way past her up the stairs to the second floor, then made her way to the master bedroom. She poked her head in.

Sesshoumaru sat glumly on the bed. She smiled at him kindly and entered, moving to his side. "Yes, I know why you did it," he said immediately. He didn't argue, he just answered. "My wife is grasping for power now. I can't even speak to my son anymore."

Kagome stopped him. "If you want to talk about it, tell me at dinner. I need your nose right now to help me find my dinner guests, or I'll get lost and dinner will get cold." Ten minutes later they had found both Hiei and Keiko and were seating themselves in the dining hall. Kagome had set Sesshoumaru at the head of the table with Keiko and Hiei to his right. Kagome and Akari were to the left, with Kagome at the end and Keiko across from her. Datii and Miho were in the kitchen, having disappeared the instant Kagome entered the hall.

"You didn't make this, did you?" Keiko asked, looking at the food hesitantly. She had already killed enough brain cells on a sip of that steamed milk. She took her napkin and unfolded it, placing it on her lap. Hiei stared at his plate and showed no indication of ever looking up from it, instantly picking up his fork and eating so he wouldn't have to be a part of the conversation. Sesshoumaru picked at his food. Kagome didn't blame him. He probably wasn't sure he wanted food at the moment.

Kagome took some of the garlic and cheddar mashed potatoes and put them on a plate, also putting some squash on it. The plate was for Akari, and Akari was delighted to have messy food, her favorite type of food. She squished it in her fingers and soon had more over her face and head than she had consumed, amusing Kagome to no end.

"No, I went to the village down the road and bought it when my attempt at spaghetti proved futile." She took a napkin and tried to wipe Akari up as much as possible. "Oh, dear. I may need a wet washcloth for you." She politely excused herself from the others and entered the kitchen through the main doors. Miho and Datii were not in the room, so she figured they had been so shy they ate quickly and just went to bed right away. She wet a washcloth and reentered the dining hall, taking her seat again so she could wipe Akari up.

Akari protested; it was very hard to eat food when her mother was washing her face with a wet cloth, but then went silent again when Kagome stopped. "There." Kagome said, satisfied Akari was at least somewhat clean, though the child was getting messy again. Kagome didn't attempt to open a conversation about Sesshoumaru's wife. It was up to him to decide if he wanted to talk about it in front of Keiko and Hiei, even if Kagome trusted them both. It wasn't up to Kagome to put him on the spot like that.

Instead, she talked to Keiko, inquiring on her schooling and comparing it to where she was in the lessons Sesshoumaru was giving her. Keiko said in response to a question about college hours, "They vary from class to class. I'm taking a history class and some others, but history has never really been a strong point for me. Right now, Professor Buns has set us a rather hard task, and it is to write an essay in regards to something that is spoken of in our Mythical Folklore text books."

"Oh?" Kagome smiled, interested. She loved history and it was her very best subject. Since technically she lived it, she had grown very fond of it as well, though there are a great deal many inaccuracies to history in the books as compared to history that actually happened. She leaned forward, swallowing a piece of garlic marinated salmon before speaking again. It would, after all, be rude to speak with a hunk of food in her mouth. "And what did you choose your essay to be about?"

"Well," Keiko explained, wiping her mouth daintily with her napkin. "We didn't choose, more as we picked from a hat. Slightly inconventional, but all the topics have to be covered and everyone was all hoping to get to talk about fire-breathing dragons who guarded hoards of treasure. The card I picked from the hat stated I would cover the topic of the Quest for the Jewel of Four Souls. Absolutely no one else wanted that one, and neither did I, because there is so little information on it in all our books. I've got perhaps enough information on it for one page, but for a fifty page essay, I'll never make it."

Kagome chuckled a bit. "Oh, that story..." she glanced side-long at Sesshoumaru to see him pale. She guessed he had controlled the flow of the information on that story to the Human World so that it would seem unbelievable, because some parts of it are so unbelievably real that it couldn't be anything but true, and with the worlds being separated as they were now, it wouldn't go over well if, say, someone were to get a hold of the fact that demons are very real and seem to inhabit the world. "Try speaking to my grandfather about it. He has some... interesting... things to tell about it." She suggested.

"Do you know the story? I did try your shrine and a few others around Tokyo but I gave up on it. Your grandfather started to tell me a story, but your mother wouldn't let him finish." Hiei still stared at his plate, even though it was empty. He slowly scraped his fork across it, as if he could get more off it.

"You can have more food, if you like," Kagome told him. His face turned beet red and he reached for more food, though he never looked up. He didn't take much, just a little. Kagome wiped Akari up again and returned to her food. Sesshoumaru had started eating finally. "Well, I suppose it depends on what about the Jewel you're trying to convey. It's making and origin? Or the actual quest to gather the shards of it?"

Keiko looked eager as she said, "The actual quest. If I could just get the names of the Shard Hunters even that'd be perfect. There's no mention anywhere of who they are or what their names were. I mean, it mentions a few things, like there was a half-breed dog-demon prince," Sesshoumaru started choking on his salmon, "and his half-brother who was a full demon. And then I found something that mentions a strange priestess who wore indecent clothes."

"Well, if anything, the priestess's name was Kagome." Kagome told Keiko, folding her hands under her chin.

"How do you know that?" Keiko wanted to know, though she looked grateful for the information nonetheless.

"She was named after me." Kagome responded placidly. Sesshoumaru had just barely managed to cough up the salmon. Now his milk went spraying out of his nose.

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**Remember I refuse to re-upload this if my story is taken off the web.**


	162. Dishes To Do

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer:"I am Hiei. I have always walked an unknown road, and I have always been very lonely."__**

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Chapter 162: Dishes To Do

Keiko blinked and asked, "Don't you mean you were named after her?"

"Whatever," Kagome said and helped herself to seconds, looking at Sesshoumaru. "Dear me, are you going to be alright, Sesshoumaru? You look like death warmed over."

Sesshoumaru nodded and ignored the curious looks he was recieving from both Hiei and Keiko. Akari giggled at Sesshoumaru and blew air out of her nose heavily too. He held his napkin to his nose and changed the subject, glaring at Kagome. Did she want people to think she was crazy? Or did she just not care at all? "My wife." he stated, his voice nasal because he was pluging his nose.

Kagome nodded her head in concern, her eyebrows coming together just slightly. "What about her? You mentioned your son."

Keiko looked at Sesshoumaru's ring finger and asked, "Why don't you wear a ring if you're married?" Hiei had turned back to his plate, staring at it intently, his jaw clamped shut. Kagome wondered if Hiei felt ill. He'd been acting a bit strange all afternoon.

Sesshoumaru looked at his ring finger and quirked an eyebrow. "We did not make rings for each other when we were wed."

"Why not?" Keiko seemed curious and Sesshoumaru wasn't sure he liked that curiosity directed toward him. "Everyone wears wedding bands when they get wed, don't they?"

"No, not everyone." Sesshoumaru said. "When you hate the woman you wed, usually you don't give them a way to mark them as yours." Keiko's lips formed an 'o' and she quieted. Sesshoumaru had hardly eaten but he put his fork down anyway. Keiko noticed that both men at the table wore a rosary with no small amount of surprise, though Hiei tried to conceal it beneath his shirt.

"So what were you going to say about your son?" Kagome prodded gently. "Something about being unable to see him?" She wiped her mouth with her napkin and began to wash Akari up again, giving Akari more potatoes and squash. She seemed to like the food a great deal. Really, Keiko found it unnerving that at six months Akari was feeding herself and doing all this extraordinary stuff.

Sesshoumaru clenched his hand into a fist. "She's just a whore. That's all." Kagome didn't like this close-jawed Sesshoumaru that she was seeing. She glanced at him and saw he had put his hand on the rosary as though that motion alone comforted him and calmed him. He would have to learn to be calm or the powerful rosary would activate itself. Kagome had turned it on with the 'sit' command. It's magic hadn't settled yet.

"Oh, look at the time." Kagome announced as the echoing clock chimed midnight. She hadn't even realized the time was going by. After eight pm, the clock didn't strike every hour, only striking midnight and then picking up at six am again. "Sesshoumaru, did you want to stay the night?"

"No, I think I'll go pay my daughter a visit and plot my wife's early demise." Kagome stood when he stood, and she moved to his side, hugging him and then going up on tippy toes to kiss him on one cheek. She whispered in his ear, "You never said you had a daughter too," and he just shrugged. He bent over to kiss Akari's messy face. "It was nice to meet you both." He said to Keiko and Hiei, obviously not remembering that he met Hiei before.

Then he left and Kagome moved to clear the table. Keiko said something in Hiei's ear and he shrugged her off. Keiko offered, "May I give Akari a bath? At least I'd be able to give you a little break, you know?"

Kagome picked up the stack of dirtied dishes that she had gathered and said, "That's very nice of you, Keiko. You can use the bathroom in my bedroom. Akari can't take a bath without someone in with her though because of how high the tub sides are, so probably take a nightgown in there, which you'll find in the closet. I've a bathrobe hanging on the back of the door."

Keiko nodded and picked Akari up from the high-chair, ending up with potatoes and squash all over the front of her shirt and in her hair because Akari was so messy. She escaped upstairs. It wasn't until after she had gone that Kagome wondered if she knew where Kagome's room even was. Hiei was getting the plates from the other side of the table, placing the silverware on top of the top-most plate. Kagome and Hiei moved toward the kitchen, Kagome pushed the door open with her behind.

Inside the kitchen, Datii and Miho were eating, surprising Kagome, but she was glad nonetheless. She had thought they wouldn't eat at all. Datii hurried to stand and curtsy. "Mi'lady," she gasped. "We 'ad thought you was asleep!"

Kagome shook her hand and set the dishes in the sink, running water on them. Chu's cup was still there, which meant he had not yet returned. He usually returned before midnight. A seed of worry was planted in her mind at that. What had happened to Chu? "Don't worry about it, Datii. Just eat your fill and don't mind me."

Datii moved over and tried to begin the dishes. Kagome gently shoved her away. "Enough. I can do a few dishes on my own. Take care of your son before you attempt to take care of me. Poor guy's nearly falling off his chair." Miho looked asleep where he sat, leaning precariously over his food as though one bump would send him straight into his plate of salad.

Datii curtsied hastily and took her son away from the table, dashing into the dining hall and toward the servant's wing where there was an array of rooms of all sizes to house servants of all types. Hiei moved and set his stack of dishes on the counter, rinsing the dishes off as she set them in the other sink, and placing them in the strainer quietly. He never said a word, so she didn't bother trying to converse with him. At the moment, silence was a wonderful treat and she was glad the day was coming to a close.

Every time his hand and Kagome's came into contact, his face got redder, but Kagome failed to notice this. She had her eyes closed as she did a task she could have done in her sleep. When there were no more dishes to grab, she went to gather up the glasses and brought them back, sighing happily.

"It's so nice to be able to do this without worrying about demons jumping at me from behind trees. You know, I always got dishes duty because I never cooked, but I didn't complain about it. It gave me a chance to escape Inuyasha's sight, and I didn't go so far that I'd need a person with me." She grew silent again and he glanced at her, wondering if there was more. Demons jumped out at her while she did dishes? What an odd thing to say... Is that how she knew demons existed? Or did she know Sesshoumaru was a demon too?

She finished scrubbing the cups and drained the sink, leaning against it, tapping her toes on the floor. "I wonder..." she whispered, as though she were alone and talking to herself. "I wonder if he misses me..." She sighed at the fantasy. "Foolish dreams, I suppose." She dried her hands on her apron and looked at Hiei, surprised he was there. "Oh, sorry." A blush stained her cheeks.

"Ah, who's Inuyasha?" The question was said hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure he wanted to know. She failed to notice that he had already guessed who Inuyasha was. She felt a faraway look cross her face as she imagined the face of her first crush. "You don't have to tell me."

She closed her color shifting eyes. She guessed that the store people must have thought she was a demon with her shifting eyes and the tattooes on her face. She had grown used to it. Her long lashes gently brushed her cheeks as she smiled. "My first crush... but he never knew that. It's a good thing, too, I suppose, because I grew out of it."

Hiei felt the stirrings of worry enter his gut right next to the fuzzy feeling he felt when he stood next to her. He'd grow out of liking Kagome? Was that what Keiko really meant when she said 'she's looking for a steady relationship'? She didn't mean that Hiei just had to tell Kagome. She meant that Kagome wouldn't want to start a relationship with Hiei if all he had on her was just a crush. Or wait... what the hell did Keiko mean?

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	163. Yusuke Is Alive

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Went to the doctor, and I asked her to make this stop. Got medication, a new addiction, f!thanks a lot. Who am I?__**

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Chapter 163: Yusuke Is Alive

Kagome gave Hiei a brisk hug before retreating out the entrance to the servant's stairs. Now left alone, Hiei turned off the kitchen light and went to find the front door so he could wait for Chu to return. He wanted an immediate status report on how Yusuke was doing. He sat down on the main stairs, hidden in shadow, and set himself up for a long night. It wasn't until the clock that was hidden somewhere in the mansion began to chime half an hour past six am that the front door opened and Chu came in.

Chu was soaked: it had started to rain around four am. Obviously the guardian of the barrier was sad, because he had full control of the weather in the Demon Realm. He controlled the skies and that in turn controlled the land. Or at least, that was how people viewed the guardian anyway. If it rained, he was sad. If it was sunny, he was happy. Hiei thought it might be the other way around. It would be if it were Hiei who controlled the barrier.

"Well?" Hiei demanded quietly. Certainly he was worried. That was probably why Yusuke had not put up a fight, or even questioned where Hiei was. But at the same time, he wanted to strangle Yusuke for getting caught.

Chu shook his head sadly. "He's alive. That's all Ah kin tell yeh righ' now. Worse shape then yeh were. Half blind. Missin' pieces o' 'im. Touya says he's sicker than a rat with rabies. Not t' mention th' number o' dogs tryin' t' get at 'im. Jin, Rinku, Touya, an' me all had a hell o' a time tryin' t' save 'im. They were low level, th' lot o' 'em, but there was so many."

Hiei sighed and made his way to the stair. His mind was split in two at the moment: worry for Yusuke, and thoughts about Kagome. He wasn't used to this. He was used to being able to concentrate on the matter at hand, and Kagome certainly wasn't the matter at hand. Kagome didn't even know his name yet, so how could he expect her to even consider liking him? Yusuke was injured more than he had been, and he had no doubt that it was Koenma who did it.

In the end, Hiei fell asleep and had nightmares that Kagome was being tortured by Koenma, and Hiei was powerless to help her because he didn't know if Kagome liked him or not. It was to these dreams that Hiei woke up in a cold sweat often during that first night in his own room in Kagome's mansion.

-Elsewhere-

The morning had kissed Kagome's face with a cool breeze that flowed in the window after the late spring rains. She felt like she had a hangover, though she knew it was just because she had used her magic so much the day before, even if at the time it didn't seem like it was all that much. Some spells took more from her than she even realized. She got up during the dim hours of the morning and turned on her desk lamp only bright enough that she could see her work.

She pulled the pile of askew papers toward her. She had picked them up right before bed with the intention of ordering them, but then had changed her mind and just gone to sleep. Now she worked on putting them back in order, vowing she would number them from that day forward.

Kagome had ordered them and began putting numbers on them when Akari woke up. "Bvmm," Akari announced as if it was for all the world a legible word. Kagome went and picked Akari up. "Are you hungry?" she asked the baby. It was too early in the morning for baby food. She didn't get that until Chu came with breakfast.

Kagome changed Akari's diaper and breastfed Akari while she numbered her pages using her left hand to write. When she was finished with that, she picked up her shrine-girl book and began to read it. She was almost finished with her first one. She supposed a book a year was fairly good with all the other things she had been working on.

When Akari seemed more interested in poking her breast than eating, she decided the child was full for now and reassembled herself together. While Akari crawled around on the floor, Kagome keeping one eye on her daughter and the other on her book, she could hear faint noises coming from the window, though she ignored it. The garage was outside that window, and Chu knew that he was to take Keiko to school in the morning.

Kagome spent half an hour reading the shrine-girl book before book-marking it and scooping Akari up. She had gotten into the habit of giving Akari a bath in the morning and the evening, which helped prevent diaper rash. Akari giggled and splashed in the bath as Kagome washed her baby's hair, which seemed to be growing out far more curly than Kagome's had ever been. Kagome hoped it held. Her own hair was wavy a little, but as far as curly went, she couldn't say she had it.

When they were done bathing, they went about the usual routine that Kagome followed, it having been disrupted the day before due to Hiei being there. Usually by now Chu had brought up her breakfast, but Chu was taking Keiko to school and had not yet returned, and the new addition to the household 'servants', Datii, had no clue about Kagome's schedule so couldn't very well follow it, could she?

Kagome made her way to Akari's room and set Akari to playing on the floor with a few toys while Kagome worked on moving boxes in the room. Kagome had dressed in a pair of navy blue comfort shorts and a sports bra under an unbuttoned thin blue and white checkered flannel and had knee-high stockings to keep her feet warmer against the stone floor that made up the mansion. Her white apron was hung over the back of the rocking chair to keep it from getting bespeckled with gray dust bunnies.

The room had been used for storage by the first owners of the mansion and Kagome guessed they couldn't find the key to get their things, so they left it there. Through her searches, Kagome had found things like boxes filled with old clothes, or old toys, all things she had donated.

She was trying to decide what she could do with a long, narrow box filled with rusted old swords, halbards, tridents, and scythes when there was a knock at the door. "Mrs. Higurashi?" Chu called through the wooden door. The door knob rattled, attracting Akari's attention and making her giggle. "Mrs. Higurashi, are you in here?"

"Just a moment, Chu." Kagome said, brushing herself off a bit. While she worked with the flannel unbuttoned, that did by no circumstances mean that she was going to just throw the lock and allow Chu to see her half naked. Certainly she probably didn't have anything that he hadn't already seen before on other women, but for the sake of being modest, she buttoned her shirt back up and pulled on her apron, tying it around her waist as she walked to the door.

She reached in her apron pocket for the ring of master keys, pulling it out and flipping through the six skeleton keys for the right one in a casual sort of way. Putting the key in the lock, she turned it one full clockwise rotation and heard the tumblers fall into place, and stuck the ring of keys back in their proper pocket before she opened the door to admit her butler-slash-accountant.

Chu had a tray of food in his hands, and a confused look on his face. "Mrs. Higurashi, there's a woman in the kitchens."

"And?" Kagome took the tray from him and put it on the small T.V. dinner table placed by the rocking chair. On the tray was a glass of orange juice, a plate of pancakes topped with butter and blueberry syrup, two strips of bacon, and four halves of toast, buttered lightly. Beside that there was a small dish of applesauce and a jar of "Bacon, Eggs, and Toast Breakfast" meal for Akari, the concoction looking sickly, but being Akari's favorite of the baby foods.

"Well, she wasn't there yesterday." Chu said as if Kagome didn't understand him. He scratched his scraggly chin and Kagome noticed bruises around his right eye and eyebrow and a fat lip seemed to be the new attractions to the man. He had his candy cap pulled a little to the side to hide a cut on his head. His fists were as black and blue as they could be. Those wounds were certainly not from accounting.

" Chu, what happened? Are you alright?" she asked him now that she got a good look at him. She moved over closer to him and he backed out into the hall again, not sure if he wanted his mistress to get any closer. He had seen the looks Hiei gave her. Anyone could tell even at a glance that the little scruff had a crush on her, and in a lot of cases that Chu had seen, both in humans and demons alike, men tended to get jealous of other men.

"It's nothing, Mrs. Higurashi." He lifted his chin arrogantly, and in that moment looked more like Yusuke than he probably knew, making a surge of guilt flow through her painfully. He had promised to come with her when she moved, but at the last minute of gym class that day, he found her and told her his boss had just called and he had to run into work.

This was six months ago already, and still no Yusuke. Just what kind of job did he do that he couldn't even make a phone call? Not that he knew her phone number, and supposedly she was in another world so the connection might not even happen, but still!

Still thinking about Yusuke, she shook her head. "Of course it is." she sighed. "In my herb cabinet in the bathroom, there is a jar with a purple cork with the word SET scratched into the front. It's a very large jar filled with powder. You can't miss it. Mix one-third cup powder with one-fifth cup and two tablespoons water and spread the paste on those wounds. They'll be cleared up as soon as the paste dries, and then you can crack off the dried paste. The key to the cabinet is on top of it. Come in here, Chu. Perhaps you can solve a debate for me." She moved aside and he entered the room. Akari had army crawled across the room and now was chewing on Kagome's stocking toes, so Kagome picked up the child lest she get a fuzzball in her throat.

Balancing Akari on her hip, she moved over to the box of old weapons. She had thought about keeping them as wall decoratives. Building mounts for them out of wood would have been easy. But they were so rusty that she wasn't even sure they were salvagable. She wasn't exactly an expert on weaponry, either. She could barely lift a sword the last time she had been in the feudal era. Since she had come to the modern time, she hadn't even really thought about lifting a sword, much less actually come into contact with one since hers had been taken away by her mother.

"What's this?" Chu asked, peeking into the box. Kagome saw his eyes widen with interest as he looked at a few of the weapons. He whistled his surprise as he touched one sword near the bottom of the stack and immediately pulled his hand back as if it burned him. "Some fine weapons, here, Lady." Chu said.

"Yes, yes," Kagome said hastily. "That's all fine and dandy, but what should I do with them? I mean, who knows how long they've been sitting here, rusting away. The scythes were made with lead cores, but the wood was so mistreated that it'll fall apart the instant anyone touches it, and some of these blades look like they'll break. I have no use of weapons that cannot be used, do I?"

Chu shrugged, wondering if Mitsuko, leader of the Rebellion, would enjoy a little present and said, "I could find a home for them, and any others you might come across too."

"Really?" Kagome smiled happily. "That's a relief. The sooner I get this room cleaned up, the better. Oh, and about Datii, the woman in the kitchens... I hired her to replace you as cook. Don't look at me like that; I love your cooking. But with spring almost over, I decided you should have more time for your gardening and for visiting with your friend. All you need to worry about is accounting for my expenses then. Oh, and drawing up a pay roster for her. Tell her the cooking schedule you kept for me and Akari and pay her eleven fifty an hour."

Chu nodded. "I'll call one of my other friends to come help me move this box and any others you may find. We'll get them out by tonight."

"Thank you." She looked at Akari, who was reaching for her food even though she couldn't reach it. "Alright, alright, we'll have breakfast now. Jeepers, you act like you've never eaten before." She shook her head and glanced slyly at Chu. "Hm. Children."

He blushed and retreated, closing the door behind him. Kagome fed Akari and then ate her breakfast cold. She was just finishing her breakfast when Chu returned for the tray, on time as usual. He took away the tray and Kagome left the room, locking it behind her.

Chu would have to come get her to open it for him, but she didn't mind. She wanted to meet his friends and perhaps get to know the people he hung out with. It would help her gather a little more sense on who he was, because after six months, she still didn't know him very well.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	164. Inuyasha's Marbles

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: "I am Kagome. My friends think I go to the doctor all the time, but I don't. My days are depressing, and my nights are unbearable; my thoughts are haunting me to the point of sickness."__**

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Chapter 164: Inuyasha's Marbles

Now that she and Akari had eaten breakfast, it was time to go back to the master bedroom and begin her studies. She had two reports for Sesshoumaru completed, and another to do yet. This next one was due later on today when Sesshoumaru would come for her lessons as soon as school let out. Yesterday was supposed to have been a social call, but they didn't get to do very much socializing due to a few complications. She hoped he would be in a better mood.

Kagome never pressured herself about deadlines. She had found it to be unnecessary stress and after several years of stressing about her grades while well-hopping, it had taken a child born through immaculate conception to teach her that she was slowly killing herself with stress.

Needless to say, as the afternoon wore on and Chu brought lunch, she could tell she wasn't going to get the report done. She should have waited on the history report, since it wasn't due for another few days but had done that one first. While Kagome worked, Akari chewed on her thumb and played with toys on the floor.

They ate, and then Kagome sent Chu to go to the village with Datii and Miho to buy them some clothing at Kagome's expense, and asked Chu to pick up the necessary ingredients to cook a chocolate-strawberry cheesecake, and told him to get a half-gallon of ice-cream as well.

While Kagome knew she could as easily have Datii or Chu make the cheesecake, she wanted to do it herself, though she couldn't shirk her lessons to do so or Sesshoumaru would be disappointed. She would cook the cheesecake tomorrow for her nameless friend.

After lunch was Akari's naptime. Akari was always excited for naptime because she got to sleep in the big bed with Kagome unless she had been crabby. But Kagome needed to use that time to work on the report on Mozart, the composition genius. She tried to explain to Akari why she wasn't going to lay with her as she tucked Akari into the big bed.

"Listen, sweetie. I know it's nap time, but I still have work to do. I have a big report on the composer Mozart due this afternoon, so I have to stay up. I need you to take a nap so you're all refreshed when Uncle Sesshoumaru gets here, okay?" Her daughter's brown eyes stared up at her for a long moment. Kagome ran her fingers gently through her little miracle's curly raven locks and she kissed Akari's forehead. "Go to sleep, little one." she whispered. She hoped Akari understood.

And Akari did.

**-Elsewhere- **

Chu had been skeptical that the paste would work, so he had cut the recipe in half twice and only made a little. Kagome was a horrible cook, this was true. But she hadn't been wrong. He'd spread it on one hand and waited for the thick substance to dry. When he bent his hand into a fist, the stuff just cracked and fell to pieces like a smashed porcelain doll. The wounds on his hand were gone, the swelling was gone, all that was left was a long scar that trailed down one knuckle toward his wrist.

Surprised that it worked, but pleasantly so, he decided it was time Koenma's wounds, and even Yusuke's, were healed. Instead of putting the jar of powder back, he put it in his coat pocket. He would slip out of the house when Sesshoumaru came to give Kagome her lessons.

"It looks to me like you're stealing?" Hiei commented blandly, seating himself comfortably atop Chu's dresser. Really, what was it with short people and high places? At least there was nothing up there to begin with.

"It looks t' me like yeh can't help but annoy people." Chu retorted. He stood. He couldn't procrastinate much longer anyway. Kagome had told him to take Datii and her son shopping for clothes. Chu wondered if Kagome knew they were demons or not.

"Where do they meet? I want to be a part of it." Hiei was talking about the Rebellion of course, but he wasn't going to say that outloud. He got a bad vibe from Datii and Miho. They were too quiet and stealthy for their own good. Earlier that day when Hiei had woken up, Miho had been loitering up in the tower where Hiei had made his room. Hiei had heard the sounds of the door lock being picked which had woke him up.

Chu took one look at Hiei's face and decided against arguing the small demon out of it. He was already too far in to turn back. The phony prince had made that choice for him. "I'm gonna try t' go t'night. I won't take yeh with. At least not yet." he hastily added when he saw Hiei's furious look.

"Why?" The little mixed breed bristled.

"Because yeh're gonna need yer rest, an' yeh ain't had it in six months. That hole yeh got proves it." Chu replied. He walked over to his desk. It was filled with numbers and accounts and all the things that he used to track Kagome's expense accounts, though he did it all by hand. He didn't trust computers. Heavy handed as he was, he had broken three keyboards before he realized they were evil creations of mankind made for the pure purpose of driving a man crazy. "Did'ja see that li'l boy in th' hall when yeh came?"

Hiei nodded. "He was by my room this morning, trying to pick the lock." He watched as Chu pulled a little package of round balls, like marbles made of metal, from his desk drawer. A wicked little light came to his eyes as he recognized those marbles. They were all over the Spirit World castle. "Where on Earth did you get those?"

Chu grinned. "An ol' buddy o' mine lent 'em t' me. In'yasha said they'll help me t' keep an eye fer trouble, should I need t' use 'em. I know where Mrs. Higurashi goes each day, an' she rarely deviates from her routine. So's I figure, place 'em along her usual route, an' keep th' leader with me."

"Inuyasha, you say?" Hiei wondered if it was the same one Kagome had been talking about. He thought for a moment about the name. It was so familiar, more familiar than if it had just been said randomly by Kagome. "Lord Inuyasha? King Enma's brother?"

"Quiet yer trap." Chu snapped. "Yeh never know who's listenin' at keyholes these days." And that was the end of that conversation. Chu put the bag of marbles in his pocket and stalked out the door.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	165. Miroku's Pet Griffon

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Pangs of silence, from the room upstairs. How's the view there? Do you read what they're saying about you? Who am I?__**

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Chapter 165: Miroku's Pet Griffon

**-Later- **

That evening, Kagome broke her promise to herself. She was stressing over the report. Sesshoumaru was due to visit her in ten minutes and she was still not done. Akari was hungry, Chu had returned with Datii and Miho and told her that the two wanted to speak with her privately, and she had yet to even see Hiei at all that day. He was like a ghost, but Chu had assured her Hiei wasn't offended by her holing up in her room.

And then there was the fact that she was hungry too! She was hungry, but the thought of food made her sick to her stomach. She finally snapped and picked up her report, shredding it into a hundred pieces, only to toss those pieces off the balcony that led out of her room.

"Well, that was thoroughly pointless." Sesshoumaru drawled from behind her. "And you warn me not to get angry." He picked Akari up, he had grown to be quite proficient at that, and tapped her on the nose with his forefinger. Akari had learned that when someone did that, it meant she had to pay attention. "Hush. While your mother is a mad woman, she did not forget about you at all."

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome cried. "Don't tell her that!"

"But it's true." Sesshoumaru grinned, holding Akari so she could lay her head on his shoulder. "You didn't forget about her."

"I was talking about the other part!"

"Oh that... But you are mad."

Kagome threw her hands up in the air and then slapped them against the balcony rail, yelling loudly and bending over the rail, all in frustration. "Ahhhh!" She looked down at the ground with an unfocused vision. She could have sworn there was a woman standing down there in the shade of that tree. Why? Movement distracted her to her left. Sesshoumaru had come up next to her on the balcony. She looked again, and the woman was gone.

"That... did you see?" Kagome asked, pointing to the tree where she had seen the woman. She had come out on this balcony day after day, and never before had she seen a woman down there before. Was it Datii? But Chu should have taken her clothes shopping by now, so she wouldn't be in the house, or indeed anywhere on the grounds.

"Did I see what?" Sesshoumaru looked where she pointed. Nothing was there. "Kagome, what am I looking at?"

Shaking her head, she blinked several times and then sighed, leaning against the rail. "Are you staying for dinner, dearest?" she inquired while she rubbed her eyes with the pads of her middle fingers. Moisture had seeped out of her eyes. "I don't think I'll have my report done. I'll have to take a late mark."

Sesshoumaru made a face at the name she had called him, but said, "For you, Kagome, I'd do anything. Even risk your cooking." She smiled at him, her eyes more watery now. Before it had been exhaustion and stress that made her cry. Now it was his tone of voice, the level of admiration she heard him portray. His hand came up and brushed away the fresh set of tears, his other arm carefully steadying the child in his arms. "What's this now?"

Kagome shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing. It's nothing."

"No, it's not 'nothing' Kagome." Sesshoumaru said sternly. "Tell me what it is."

Kagome gave a watery hiccup and then leaned into Sesshoumaru, careful of Akari as she wrapped her arms around him. "It's so hard... Not a day goes by when I don't wonder... I try to shove it all to the back of my mind... but the well is sealed, and, and, I don't even know what's going on. What are they doing, I mean, it's you, but it's not. You've already lived it, haven't you... it's all past tense for you, but that's... or at least... I think that's my future! Do I take Akari with me? Do I leave her with someone here? How long until I go back?" She didn't know where all this was coming from. She had never meant to bring it up with him.

**-Elsewhere- **

The bad part about his new room was that Chu had picked the one tower that gave Hiei a direct view into the master bedroom to a certain extent if he stood on the circular balcony that ran all the way around the South tower. He could see everything going on atop Kagome's terrace. He found it hard to stomach, but he wasn't really sure why it was so difficult.

**-Later- **

Kagome always made it a point to visit Hiei during the day or the night. Once she managed to clean up Akari's room, she moved onto other ones, needing something other than her schooling and music lessons to fill her time. She could only hold a one-sided conversation with Hiei for so long before she felt like she was intruding upon his privacy, even though it was her house he was living at.

Every time she was near, he found an extreme interest in the ground that just seemed very uncharacteristic to her, very unreal. Still, she made no attempts to question him about it, knowing already that he would not answer. She never really had made a habit of asking questions that she didn't already know the answer to, or else knew she would find out and recieve an answer.

Hiei on the other hand, tried to converse with her in return every time she sought him out, but no words would come out, and he almost thought she had stolen his voice box right from him at one point. Perhaps she had magically exploded it, like his toilet in his old apartment...

Then again, probably not. He watched her silently from the balcony of his room in the south tower, and admired how she interacted with Akari. Several times he wondered where Akari's true father was. Akari was a bastard child, like Hiei, a child without a father. She would probably ask one day where her father was. Hiei wondered what Kagome would respond with.

Slowly the days crawled by. The house seemed more lively with Datii and Miho. Chu was in and out, running errands he said was his excuse. Akari grew little by little, her teeth coming in. She was teething more and more, and her front teeth grew in. The very first time Akari bit Kagome's breast, Kagome decided it was bye-bye breast-feeding, and introduced the sippy cup.

Akari still decided she didn't want to talk yet, and continued to speak gibberish. Kagome attempted to get Akari to say 'mommy' but the child absolutely refused to. She said 'fa-herr' and 'Kawi' and 'bvmm'. That was it though. Kagome didn't want to force her, but she was getting worried as Akari's first birthday approached. Akari was still army crawling around, hadn't even gotten on her knees yet. She could sit on her own.

In a conversation with Datii, the woman assured her that it was normal for babies to do things in their own time. After that, Kagome had left because Datii had been uncomfortable talking to her, even after a few months living in the same house as Kagome. Miho, however, had taken to trailing Kagome everywhere, like a puppy. It wasn't that Kagome minded all that much. Miho was a little clown and was filled with a bunch of good laughs.

The days went by and Kagome added things to her routine and subtracted things from it on a regular basis. She often had visitors now. Keiko came to see her on Sundays and Sesshoumaru visited as often as possible, sometimes even staying at Kagome's house. Kagome was beginning to wonder if Keiko knew about the worlds being split, because the more Kagome left the mansion's outer gates, the more she was convinced that she was in the Demon Realm.

She left only when she was positive Chu, Datii, and even Hiei were not looking. She didn't want Sesshoumaru to find out she was escaping her own house to explore outside. She was afraid that if Sesshoumaru knew, he might insist she stop leaving the mansion, suggesting it was for her own safety.

She came to know some of the villagers by name even. They insisted on calling her 'Ladyship', and wouldn't budge no matter how she insisted she wasn't important. The villagers called Akari 'Little Ladyship', and spoiled the young girl with little dolls and other toys to play with. A seamstress made a little blanket for Akari that was maroon, and that Akari absolutely adored and wouldn't go anywhere without or she'd cry and not stop.

It was one of Kagome's favorite times of the day, and she found herself grumbling by nightfall if she hadn't made it out of the mansion to visit the village. Hiei knew she was leaving, but he never told anyone. He followed her where she would go, whether it was to the village, or just a walk around the mansion walls. He remained hidden, which wasn't hard after five hundred years practice. He knew of the dangers that lurked in the shadows of the Demon Realm.

He had come to realize that Kagome had done more with the rosary than just stop him from killing himself, and it was this that made him know for certain he needed the Evil Eye back. He couldn't use either his fire or ice elemental halves. If he tried to use one or the other, the rosary would get unbearably cold or uncomfortably hot and would continue to get worse and worse until he stopped attempting it.

Akari's first birthday was nearing, and Kagome had made quite a bit of progress in her school work, at least according to Sesshoumaru anyway. Summer progressed into autumn, and Chu was beginning to request leave far more often than at that time the year before. Kagome gave it to him because she didn't think he should be cooped up in the mansion any more than she had to be. It also gave her more of a chance to escape out of the mansion herself.

The leaves were turning colors and slowly showering themselves all over the land with gold, red, and brown tears. Three days before Akari's birthday, Kagome had escaped the mansion with her child. She took a blanket with and spread it out on the ground, feeding Akari small bits of grapes. Akari would chew them with the seven teeth she had. As Akari ate one piece, Kagome set a little plastic plate down and broke up pieces of grapes for Akari to grab and feed herself.

Still Akari had not started talking very much, except those few words, and she never attempted to stand or crawl on her hands and knees. But she was a happy baby and so Kagome tried not to think too much about it. Kagome smiled and let herself fall on her back to look up at the sky through the golden tree tops. It was a fair day with not a cloud in the sky.

She could lay there forever, she thought. Staring up at the sky, with her Akari Dekage right there next to her. She wished she could freeze the moment into an eternity, even though there was really nothing special about it. Akari wasn't doing anything amazing, and there were no miracles happening around her. The moment just... was. And that's what made it so special.

She listened to the wind whisper through the treetops for a while, at the same time being mindful of Akari who, just two feet away, was eating the broken up grapes with one hand and holding on to a corner of the blanket the seamstress made her with her other hand.

A bird soared high overhead, singing a song the likes of which Kagome had never heard before. The bird was all black, like a raven, only much larger by far. If she hadn't already been positive she was in the Demon Realm, she would have been convinced then. The bird didn't pass over her. It began to circle, showering loose feathers down on Kagome before folding its wings and diving through the treetops, landing so hard the ground shook.

Kagome's jaw dropped with awe at the beast before her. Its back was to her, but it was peering at her with beady black eyes inset in a half-turned head. She sat up slowly and it turned its body. This was no bird. It was like a griffon straight from the fairy tales, but different at the same time. Its hind quarters all the way to its front legs was that of a cat, a whiplike tail stretching from its rump to switch in the air testily, the claws of its back paws digging into the ground. The front half and the wings were like that of an eagle, covered in black feathers the same color as its hair on the rest of it. The creature's wing span had to be over eight feet in length.

She was going to get up and approach it, to see if it was friendly at all, when it shot up into the sky, cawing loudly. She covered her eyes to shade them from a bit of the sun as she watched it go. "Amazing!" she giggled. She had never seen one of those before in the past era. She looked at Akari and kissed her child's cheek, plucking the feather from her child's curious fingers. She turned away for a second, when she heard footsteps in the leaves around them. "They never cease to amaze, do they?" she asked the baby. She recieved no answer... Not even Akari's usual giggle.

She looked at Akari. Was the baby choking and unable to respond?

...No, she had disappeared, like the rabbit in the magician's hat. "AKARI?" Panic settled in faster than lightning strikes.

"I swear, you're a terrible mother." Hiei stated, standing hidden in shadow over the baby. He wouldn't touch the thing, god forbid! It might give him some sort of rash! Kagome raced over and picked up Akari. "Don't take your eyes off of her. She's quick." He warned Kagome.

She swore she saw him fade away then. Where the heck did he go? Her heart was still racing. If Hiei had not been there, what would have happened? Would she have found Akari? And then something clicked in her mind and both embarrassment and anger slipped into her gut. "You've been following me, haven't you!" she yelled, recieving no answer.

"Fa-herr! Fa-herr!" Akari giggled, as if she had known Hiei was there and had gone to find him. Kagome looked at Akari as she held her. Akari was filled with surprises, but Kagome would certainly age a hundred years if that happened again.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	166. P1: Akari's Fifth Birthday

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: "I am Kurama. Part of me worries of what others think about me. The other part is a ruthless demon willing to kill. Don't underestimate me. It is no fun to be the man."__**

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Chapter 166: "Akari's Fifth Birthday" Part One

Four years had passed since Kagome had seen the Griffon with Akari just a few days before the child's first birthday. She had visited that place often in the first few monthsto see if it would return, but it never did, and as the years passed and Akari grew, Kagome stopped going. She visited the village often.

Now it was Akari's fifth birthday and she was walking, talking, and just about the most adorable child Kagome had ever lain eyes on. That was a lie right there. She wasn't "just about"! She really was the most adorable child ever! She had an adorable button nose.

Kagome smiled at Akari as she bundled the child up for a walk outside. Since that day, she had been far more careful with Akari and she knew that Hiei was always nearby even if he didn't show himself. She knew his name now. Kagome's new bad habit of eavesdropping helped her to learn his name. She never let him know that she knew it though.

As Akari grew up, she had taken to a little game with Hiei. She seemed to think he was afraid of getting "cooties", a term she had learned from Kagome, who had said it when trying to explain to a hysterical child why Hiei wouldn't go near the child. Kagome would rather Akari think Hiei was afraid of cooties than have the child think that Hiei didn't like her.

"Mommy, guess how old I am today!" Akari giggled proudly as Kagome tied Akari's hair in a French braid. Akari's curls had stayed, which pleased Kagome. Akari's hair was fairly long now, and very thick. Kagome knew how old Akari was. After all, it wasn't like her daughter hadn't announced it six times already that morning.

"How old?" Kagome indulged the young girl. Kagome remembered that she had never taken her child to see her uncle, or grandma. In fact, Kagome realized she didn't even know if Grandpa was still alive. Kagome felt Yusuke was just the biggest jerk for deserting her. He promised to live with her, but that promise was all for nothing, wasn't it?

Akari held up five fingers. "I am five!"

"Then I suppose you get five spankings, don't you?" Kagome chuckled at Akari's nervous look. Kagome had never spanked Akari, nor lain a hand on her in anger. But Datii had spanked Miho for breaking things several times and Akari had seen it, so that fright was still there. "I'm kidding, sweetie. Come on, let's go see what Mommy got you for your birthday!"

Akari skipped her way to the bedroom door. "I'll be right back first, Mommy. I have to go do something!" Kagome smiled as she took off her apron. Chu was gone today. He promised Akari he would be back tonight for Akari's birthday party. Sesshoumaru would be there tonight, as would Hiei. If Hiei didn't show up, Kagome would most certainly be upset. He lived with her. Was there a reason he couldn't show his face?

But Akari was going to get Hiei now. She would try to sneak up on him in his tower room and 'give him cooties'. "Hurry, though." Kagome called after her racing daughter. She had dressed Akari in blue, the girl's favorite color. A little blue sundress. Akari's white socks became dirty quickly, since the stone floor wasn't the cleanest.

Long ago Kagome had finished Akari's room, and so the little girl slept in her own bedroom, just a few doors down from Kagome's. When it stormed at night, she would crawl into Kagome's bed, but other than that, she was pretty good about staying in bed when she was told to. Sometimes she has to go potty at night and would come to use Kagome's.

Kagome headed out of Akari's room, folding her apron as she walked. She was dressed in a white sundress. She had tried not to think about the well for the most part. It helped quite a bit just to push those thoughts aside. She had come to learn through her shrine-girl books that the well was just as much a demon in its own way as was any other being that fell under that classification.

The well would pull her when it was ready, and in that case, Sesshoumaru would take care of Akari for her until she could come back. She and Sesshoumaru had already discussed this. She walked down the servant's stairs to the kitchen, walking through it. Datii was cooking up a storm for Akari's birthday party, and it was only eight in the morning.

Kagome walked through the kitchen out into the entryway, walking to the door to slip her feet in her shoes. With her spring jacket on and Akari's in her hand, she waited for her daughter to come bounding down the stairs. Akari raced down the stairs, giggling. "Hold onto the railing, Akari!" Kagome called up to her, and her little hand immediately went up to hold onto the stone banister.

"Mommy, I almost gave daddy cooties!" Akari had taken to calling Hiei daddy and wouldn't give up either. No amount of scolding would make her believe that Hiei was not her father. When Hiei stopped complaining about it, Kagome dropped the subject and just gave up trying to convince Akari she really didn't have a father. It was to this end that Kagome was convinced that Ka had truly been reborn through the bouncy blue miracle. Ka would have known she had no father.

"Almost?" Kagome tsked playfully with a wry smile as Hiei appeared at the top of the main steps. She glanced up at him, her eyes meeting his, but continued to speak to the child. "Do we do things half-way?"

"No, mommy, but daddy is really fast!" Akari raised her hands up high and brought them around in a wide circle quickly. "Fast like a whoosher!"

"A whoosher?" Kagome inquired as Hiei looked away from their locked eyes. Kagome still didn't know that he liked her, that his crush had never gone away. Akari saw what Kagome was looking at and raced up the stairs as fast as her little legs would carry her, holding the rail with one hand.

Hiei seemed to just watch her with a raised eyebrow. She was nearly close enough to touch him when he leaned against therail and let himself fall over it. Kagome felt her heart skip with fear. What was he doing? He could get hurt! But he landed on the ground, on his feet, perfectly fine, and turned his head to look up at Akari Dekage, who had just realized he wasn't there anymore. "Daddy, you can't do that!" She pouted, looking at him through the bars of the stairs.

Hiei chuckled up at her. "Can't I?"

"No!" The child said, climbing the rail to lean on the edge and peer down.

"Akari, get down before you fall down." Kagome called. And then, of course, the obvious happened. She fell over the edge, almost like Hiei had, except it was clear that she would not land safely. Kagome raced forward...

For a moment, Kagome thought she had died of a heart attack as time itself seemed to stop, and then she blinked out the first set of fresh tears she hadn't even been aware had come to her as time sped up again at a mind boggling fast forward. She watched as her baby girl, a miracle in the form of a child, fell from the banister, fifteen feet up in the air.

Kagome wanted to cry so badly that she hadn't even realized she was crying already. There was a single scream, and then it stopped--

Akari was dangling upside down in the air by her feet, as though magical little arms had grasped her firmly. Hiei looked a little more than panicked, and ready to jump up and grab Akari whose arms hung limply down toward the ground and her little French braid was subjected to the evil called gravity. Her skirt too was no exception, and tiny blue undies with the word "Tuesday" blazing in white across the front were showing.

Her little eyelids went down and her long lashes grazed her cheek, hiding her adorable blue orbs. Actually, from Kagome's vantage point, they were going up, but that was beside the point. Akari wasn't crying or screaming anymore. She stared at the floor from an odd position suspended in mid-air. If Akari had been the size of a normal child, she would have hit the floor, but she was born premature.

Hiei finally turned to glare at Kagome. "Put her down before you blow her up!" he yelled, making Akari giggle.

"Daddy worries about me, Mommy!" she said happily. She then began to sing, "Daddy loves me, daddy loves me, but he doesn't like my cooties!"

Kagome approached Hiei and her dangling child. Akari was just barely out of Kagome's reach, and since Hiei was shorter than Kagome, he would have no better luck grabbing the girl from a standing point either. "But I didn't do anything!" Kagome insisted. "Even when I'm angry or panicked, I can feel when I use magic, but there was nothing!"

From the entrance to the kitchen, Datii cleared her throat. Kagome looked at her cook to find the white unicorn's horn on Datii's forehead was glowing with an inner white light. "Mi'lady,"

"Datii, did you catch her?" Kagome asked and recieved a small nod. "Oh, thank you!" Kagome said gratefully. She held out her hands to catch Akari, and whatever spell Datii had cast seemed to disappear. Kagome caught Akari Dekage and set her carefully on the floor, preparing to scold her daughter. When she saw how happy Akari was, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

Instead, she knelt beside her still singing child and helped her brush the dust off her blue dress. She smiled and then looked at where Datii had been seconds ago only to find that Datii wasn't there anymore. She had gone back into the kitchen to continue cooking. She would have to find someway to thank the other woman for what she had done.

"Idiot," Hiei muttered, stopping Akari mid-song. The child looked up at the fuming demon as he continued, "You never fall from someplace unless you're sure you can land safely!" He stalked across the floor to the front door and slammed outside.

Akari looked ready to cry, thinking she had been scolded. Kagome agreed whole-heartedly with Hiei's concern. Even for a tough demon, it was hard not to be scared for this cute five-year-old child. She had a way of charming everyone no matter how aloof or lone wolf they were.

Kagome once more picked up her child, balancing Akari on her hip. Since having Akari, Kagome's upper arms had gotten quite a bit of excersize between taking care of Akari and cleaning up rooms in the mansion. There certainly was a lot of crap in the mansion like old weapons that she had no use for, and old armor. There was antique vases and clocks and telephones and paintings, some of which she found a place to hang for decoration in the halls, and clothes and rolls of cloth to make clothes.

Some of these things she gave to the villagers if they wanted them. The weapons and armor went to Chu's antique weapon collecting friend, and everything else that wasn't taken or used as decoration was donated to second hand shops. Kagome did a lot of lifting in the last five years and though she wasn't as beefy as the handsome weaponsmith's sister in the village, her build wasn't the same as it had been the last time she was on the other side of the well.

So it didn't tire her to carry her five year old at all. Akari was small for her age, but lugging around twenty pounds for an extended period of time was a trick and a half for some people. Of course, if one were to look even farther back in Kagome's life, they would know that her backpack in High School weighed more than her daughter.

Kagome smiled and kissed Akari's forehead as the child wrapped her arms around Kagome's thin neck and sniffled. "Hush, sweetie," she scolded gently. "There is no reason to cry. He was scared that you would get hurt, and that's his way to tell you."

"Daddy yelled at me. He hates me!" The girl said with conviction.

Kagome shook her head in disagreement. "He does not. What have I told you about saying the 'h' word?" Kagome really didn't like the word 'hate'. It was such a final word, and while she could admit she had said it before in her life, she always did her best not to hate anyone or anything. Kagome used to hate Keiko, until the girl broke up with Yusuke. After that, Kagome was perfectly fine with Keiko.

"But mommy--"

Kagome said sternly, "I do believe I asked you a question, Akari." Kagome left the house, still carrying Akari. "What have I told you?"

Akari sighed heavily and rested her chin on Kagome's shoulder. Her voice was muted slightly because her mouth was covered by the cloth from Kagome's dress. "People who hate lack the intelligence to do anything else, and the people who accuse others of hating someone or something lack the wits to come up with a more intelligent remark."

"That's right." Kagome said. "He doesn't hate you, because the last time I checked, he is a very intelligent man. He's smarter than me and you and Datii and Miho--"

"No one is smarter than you, mommy," Akari boasted, suddenly wiggling in Kagome's arms as she shook her head vigorously. "You and me study all the time, and you write big papers for Uncle S! You're smart!"

"I'm glad you have confidence in my intelligence, sweetie." Kagome chuckled. "Do you think we should get your birthday present yet? I'm sure there's someone already waiting for you there."

Akari's face lit up and she squirmed more. "Daddy has a present for me!" Kagome set the excited child down and Akari ran toward the birthday tree at the end of the drive. It was a tall willow tree with branches that sprung everywhere and leaves that hid what was inside the hollow.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	167. P2: Akari's Fifth Birthday

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: To know if I won NaNoWriMo, click my link to my profile there in my bio here. You'll have your answer.__**

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Chapter 167: "Akari's Fifth Birthday" Part Two

Kagome decided not to speed up, though she wanted to see the look on her child's face when she saw what Kagome had gotten her. She decided it would be best if Hiei had a chance alone with Akari, because Kagome knew that was where Hiei would be.

Not only could she sense his presence with her hieghtened awareness, achieved through learning to convert her ability to sense the jewel shards into an ability to sense the presence of her rosaries, but the willow was also his place of escape. He liked to hide in its branches, she had come to learn, when he was upset.

She was working on converting her ability to sense the jewel shards into a more practical solution: being able to sense a person's spirit. That would help her more than sensing the rosary.

When Kagome got to the willow and spread apart the branches to enter into the hollow, she saw Hiei was sitting on the ground with his back against the tree truck while Akari circled her new tricycle like a vulture, with excitement in her little eyes. She didn't touch it, as if she was afraid to think the bike might not really be for her.

"Who is this for?" Akari asked Kagome when she got there, sounding afraid that it might not be for her. Kagome was glad that Akari wouldn't jump to conclusions and assume that the bike was her's. It made Akari a much better person, and Kagome was very proud of how Akari was growing up.

"Well," Kagome's eyes met up with Hiei's and she asked him, "who do you think it is for?"

Akari looked at Hiei hopefully, as if he might give it to her. Hiei had calmed down considerably. His eyes were back to a regular crimson color, instead of being an angry fiery color. He really had been frightened, not that he'd ever admit it though, and that was okay with Kagome. He didn't have to admit it.

Hiei smirked and leaned back against the tree truck further, folding his hands behind his head. "I never had a tricycle, so it must be for me. Blue isn't _my_ favorite color, but that's okay." he teased the child.

Akari smiled then. "You'll have lots of fun." Kagome watched Akari plop disappointedly onto the ground. Kagome knew Akari didn't want to be greedy, but nonetheless, the little girl couldn't help but feel disappointed that the bike she had asked Santa for at Christmas didn't come and now that it had, it was for 'daddy'.

She rang the little bell on the tricycle and attracted Akari's attention. "Daddy's a bit big for this bike, don't you think so, Akari?" Akari nodded slowly. "That's why mommy got it for her little girl, in her little girl's favorite color."

"Really!" Akari screeched happily, jumping up to her feet and bouncing up and down. She began to bunny hop around the bike and her mother with a gleeful song, "I've got a blue bike, I've got a blue bike!" As she passed Kagome, she hugged her mother's knee and said boisterously, "Thank you, Mommy!" and then continued her bouncing.

Kagome chuckled again and said, "Why don't you ride it instead of hop around it?"

Instantly Akari had hopped onto the bike and began struggling to pedal on the grass. Kagome gave Akari a push and she went zooming out of the branches. Kagome went to follow her daughter, but a hand on her arm stopped her. Hiei looked up at her with a frown on his face. "Stop encouraging her, Kagome. I'm not her father."

Kagome smiled and twisted her arm out of his grip. "What was I supposed to say? Your name?" she chuckled, a warm indescribable feeling in her gut that only grew at his touching her and the fact that he was so close, "Oh that's right, I don't know your name. Silly me."

He scowled and let her go. "Why don't you tell her who her _real_ father is and stop this nonsense once and for all?"

"Because you are the father figure in her mind, and I can't dissuade that no matter what I say. She sees you as her daddy because she loves you."

"That's insane." Hiei snapped. "No one loves me--"

Kagome interrupted him, "And you know what? She loves you for every inch of your forbidden elements." she placed a hand on his cheek. His skin was alternately cool and hot as though just beneath the surface of his skin, his elements were getting into minor battles. As long as those battles stayed under the surface of his skin, he would be okay. "She loves you, because you are who you are. She wouldn't change you, and neither would I."

She slid her hand to his shoulder. "Now stop this griping." She locked her blue eyes on his. "If you don't like her calling you daddy, then sit her down and tell her flat out that you don't. She'll listen and she'll stop calling you daddy, if you tell her not to."

"Mommy! Mommy!" Akari called. "Come on, mommy!"

Kagome excused herself from Hiei's presence and went to join her child at the gate. Hiei joined her as she was opening the small gate with a skeleton key on a large ring of keys she kept in the pocket of her sun dress. She got the feeling that Hiei would never sit Akari down and talk to her.

Akari zoomed out of the gate ahead of Kagome and Hiei fell into step beside the young girl's mother. Kagome closed the small gate and with a loud clang, it locked. Akari zigazagged down the path ahead of the two adults. Kagome called to her, "Stay close by, okay?"

"Okay, mommy!" Akari called back, ringing her little trike bell twice.

"Most five year olds are big enough to start on their first bicycle with training wheels," Kagome commented lightly as behind them the sky started to turn blood red. Neither of them noticed this.

Hiei shrugged, "I don't think most five year olds were born premature several months either. I'm surprised she's not retarded. She's very small, but her hands are nimble and her arms are strong. With proper training, she'd do well with a bone boomerang."

"She's not going to learn to fight." Kagome stated flatly. No child of hers would suffer the same fate as Kagome, having to fight for her life every day in the Feudal Era.

"Look where you're living, Kagome." Hiei waved to their surroundings as they entered the village. Akari was up ahead, ringing her bell at the villagers who called out in greeting. "These people might be nice enough, but other places aren't this well off. This place is small enough that everyone gets along and bad feelings aren't feeding beneath the surface of every face, but just large enough that inbreeding isn't a problem. Sure, that's good for you,"

"Inbreeding is a problem elsewhere?" Kagome inquired. She waved to the seamstress, "Good morning, Lolo! How's business?"

Lolo nodded her acknowledgement to Kagome's greeting, a child on one hip and a bag of groceries on the other, "Mi'lady, business?" She laughed, "You're jokin' righ'? My sissy comes and leaves the brat with me, now I'm too busy runnin' round for him!"

Kagome grinned back, "Sure are demanding, aren't they?" Lolo laughed again and disappeared into her house.

Hiei nodded. "Smaller towns in secluded forest areas or marshlands don't get the travelers or tourists, so they start screwing their cousins and aunts."

Kagome winced. "You term it so vividly." Again she saw someone she knew by face and name, which wasn't surprising around here, "Morning Fruloc!" she said to the blacksmith's grandfather, a man with large arms and a giant torso, and an extremely tiny waist and legs. He looked more like a gorrilla for a moment in his brown jerkin and breeches.

"Good day, Celia." he waved to Kagome. He had a new name for Kagome every time she saw him, which gave her a reason to giggle. "Weather's holding up wonderful, though I think there is a storm brewing. Crops aren't ready for a storm. Might miss the first harvest." He entered the pub though it was still very early.

"I say it like it is." Hiei raised an eyebrow at a second child on a red tricycle, and a third on a green one, and a fourth on a yellow one. "Looks like your town here has a trike gang." He grinned lightly as the two, three, and four year olds continued to come out to play with Akari. They started to ring their bells and it was like a parade of tricycles.

"At least all their thoughts are of playing tag and ringing their little bells." There were tricycles of all colors of the rainbow, and then more four year olds, and the five year olds came out on their training wheeled two wheel bikes, honking little duck horns attacked to their handle bars. Then the six and seven year olds came out with their bicycles and gave little calls of "Honk Ding" since they didn't have bells or horns. "So what does inbreeding have to do with Akari fighting?"

Hiei glanced at Kagome, as if contemplating whether or not he should actually tell her. Then he said, "Because little girls like her, and women like you, are targeted for rapists and child molesters. You might be a witch, but you have absolutely no control over that power unless you're sleeping." He absentmindedly rubbed his fingers along the rosary that had saved his life from himself.

"Hey, now how fair is that? I fixed the hole in your floor, didn't I?" She objected, recalling a few months ago when a hole was in his tower floor.

He drawled, "You made the whole floor invisible. If I recall, that wasn't the plan."

"But the hole isn't there anymore!" she insisted. "Morning, Darren!" she waved to one of the many men who worked out in the fields.

Hiei pointed out, "The reason to fix the hole was so that people wouldn't be able to be in the room beneath me and see my naked ass when I change. You made one problem bigger than before."

"Oh whatever." Kagome muttered. "The hole isn't there anymore, so I don't know why you're complaining."

"Maybe because my floor is invisible... that could be it..."

"Whatever," Kagome huffed again.

"The point is, Akari is your daughter, and is therefore going to, more than likely, be a witch as well. That trait is passed from mother to daughter, it is always mother to daughter." Kagome remembered her tainted mother's power and a shiver ran up her spine. "Akari could start learning to hone that power now, and at the same time, she could be learning to use an armsrange weapon like a sword, and a distance weapon like the bone boomerang to better protect herself."

"I don't want her to live my life..." Kagome whispered finally after an extended period of silence. She never told Hiei about her dangerous life, except maybe a few accidentally dropped hints, and she didn't want to ever tell him. So instead, she smiled at his questioning glance and made up a cock'n'bull lie. "My mother used to force me to learn to fight. I won't do the same for my child."

Hiei seemed to buy it, partly. He wished he had his Evil Eye. He could read her mind and find out whether or not she was telling the truth, but no, jerk Koenma had to go and rip the damn thing out! The bastard... Hiei sighed. Nothing he could do about that now, was there?

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	168. P3: Akari's Fifth Birthday

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: These chapters are not screwed up, I'll have you know. I just finally got to separating them like they should have been originally. Thank you for your concerns, and for voicing them. __**

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Chapter 167: "Akari's Fifth Birthday" Part Three

"Oh, don't worry so much. If you think I'd let someone take my Akari Dekage while there's still a breath in my body, you've another thing coming." She looked around and saw Baker with a large tray of assorted muffins and his wife Welena with a tray of drinks. Baker was what the whole village called the portly man, who was fat from a lifetime in the bakery. He never had a name so everyone just called him Baker. "Ah! Baker, Welena, good morning!" Kagome waved.

"Morning, Ladyship!" Welena called. She and Baker set their trays on one of the picnic tables outside their bakery.

Baker called out to the children, "Who wants a muffin, or juice? Penny-a-piece!" Baker did this at random usually. If he and Welena had muffins or cookies more than a half-day old, they threw it on a platter and for a single penny, the children could purchase a muffin. Usually the muffins and cookies were completely sold out as soon as they were put on the shelf in the bakery though, so this didn't happen often.

Akari rode over to Kagome while all the other children raced their bikes and trikes toward Baker. "Mommy, can I have a muffin?"

"May I," Kagome corrected her daughter.

"Mommy, may I have a muffin?" she asked.

"Do you have a penny?" Hiei asked her.

"Well, no..."

"Then can you afford a muffin?" Kagome asked.

"Oh, I guess not..." she was silent for a moment, ringing her bell. Then she asked, "Mommy, may I have a penny so I can afford a muffin?"

Kagome smiled. "Alright, I think that's fair." she dug in the pocket of her sun dress and pulled out her small coin purse. "Oh, I don't have any pennies." she said as she looked inside it.

Akari gasped. "Are you sure? Pennies are big and round and red colored! Do you have any like that?"

Kagome poured her change into her hand and bent down to show Akari. "Nope. I have three quarters, a dime, and two nickles though. You can take whichever one you like." The little child on the blue tricycle began counting on her fingers before she poked a nickle. "You think that one will work?" Akari nodded. Kagome gave the child the nickle.

"Thank you mommy!" Akari said and pedaled around Hiei and toward Welena, the nickle clutched in one hand, her steering not going so well as she wasn't the best at one handed steering. When she got there, she parked her tricycle between another red one, and a yellow one and padded over to get her muffin.

"You know, when I was her age, my father would lounge on the couch with my brother on his stomach, sleeping, and I would sit on the floor while my grandpa rattled on about ancient battles between man and demon." Kagome said, putting the rest of the change in the purse and back into her pocket with the keys to her mansion. She didn't travel with a lot of money unless she knew she was going to purchase something expensive. Doing so was asking for trouble.

Hiei snorted lightly. "When I was her age, I caught a rabbit and my grandfather, Lord Ryuichi, called my father a pansy. Then my grandmother, Lady Sango, found my grandfather and started to beat the crap out of him."

Lord Ryuichi? Lady Sango? How much of a coincidence was that? Kagome remembered the dream she had so many years ago suddenly, vividly, of Sango and Ryuichi having sex. At the time, she had no idea why she would ever picture them together. The two had always been at each other's throats, and any comment they said to one-another usually escalated into a fight to the death.

She clasped her hands to her eyes as if to ward away a bad image, and got a wierd glance from Hiei. "Interesting family," she said to him in reply to the silence. "I can see it now." But she didn't want to.

Akari got her muffin and four pennies in return and she stuck the pennies in her sundress pocket, and held the muffin in her hand as she attempted to drive straight back to her mother and 'father'. "She's going to lose those pennies." Hiei commented, watching Akari.

Kagome removed her hands from her eyes and looked at her daughter. "She's going to drop that muffin."

Sure enough, penny after penny fell out of the pocket as it was turned upside down with Akari's pedaling, and Akari didn't even realize they were tinkling on the ground. She dropped the muffin into her lap and it nearly fell to the ground but when it came to food, Akari's reflexes were amazingly quick. She caught that muffin before it had a chance to hit the ground and continued pedaling.

She offered the muffin up to Hiei and Kagome before she took a bite of it. "Want some? It's good."

"No." Hiei told her.

"No thanks, sweetie. You go ahead and enjoy it." Kagome said.

Hiei raised another question as Akari sat on her trike and made a mess of herself with a chocolate chip chocolate muffin. "And what would you do if you couldn't protect Akari?" he asked Kagome, turning back to their recent argument. "Say you couldn't get to Akari? What then? She dies because you're too stubborn to teach her what might save her life in the end for knowing?"

Kagome's lips pressed firmly into a thin line. "Nothing is going to happen to her while there is still a breath in my body." she again said. She looked at Hiei for a long moment and then said, "This is about your parents, isn't it? You couldn't protect them, so you seek to rectify past mistakes through Akari."

"Wrong," a flash passed through Hiei's eyes at the thought of his parents, Hakushiimaru and his human mate. "This has nothing to do with me. Akari is young, and innocent, and carefree. And she is naive and impressionable."

"She's a lot smarter than you think." Kagome protested.

With her mouth full, Akari said, "Yeah, Daddy, I'm smart!" And then she hiccupped.

"Eat slower, sweetie." Kagome sighed. "Listen to me, right now." she told her short friend, looking down at him with a frown. "Akari's childhood is not going to be like yours, and she will not grow up to be me. Whatever arguments you might have, drop them. Bandits and henchmen, robbers and murderers, child molesters and rapists; those type of people aren't going to exist in her life. Wars aren't going to come knocking on our doorstep. You seek to make her miserable; don't."

Hiei opened his mouth to protest, but Kagome had already turned away. "Sesshoumaru has promised me that Akari will always be safe, even if I do die or disappear. Come on, Akari, let's go get some juice to clear up those hiccups." She took the handkerchief from her long sleeve of her dress and wiped Akari's face up. Akari had already devoured most of the muffin; the rest of it was either on her, the trike, or the ground.

Hiei sighed and shook his head. The Demon Realm wasn't like the Human World, and Kagome didn't understand that. All she saw was peace so far, but it wouldn't be long before something would strike, and it would be very painful for her. If only he could make her see that! But Kagome wasn't supposed to know the worlds were split, and apart from telling her all about it, Hiei couldn't really give a reason for what he said.

He watched Kagome as she and Akari as they went toward Baker and Welena. Kagome swooped and picked up the lost pennies as they went, shaking her head slightly. His heart clenched with fear, which by all means shouldn't be happening, as he was cold and emotionless and didn't have a heart. He was evil, so why did he care what happened to that little girl or her walking disaster of a mother?

Kagome let Akari give Welena two pennies for two glasses of juice and Akari spilled more on herself than she actually drank, making the baker's wife laugh her musical little laugh. When they were done drinking their juice and Kagome had wiped Akari up as much as she could with a wet rag provided by the amused demon woman, they returned to where Hiei stood.

Hiei rolled his tongue in his mouth for a moment, debating whether or not to tell Akari, and then decided against it. He said, "Let's go to the blacksmith's," to Kagome.

Kagome glared at Hiei, but Akari had already wheeled her trike in that direction. "I know where it is!" she said happily.

"What?" Hiei asked the fuming young woman, all innocence. "I like to look at the weapons and armor. Can't fault me for that, can you? I am a guy still last I checked." He grinned.

"You have a vast selection in the many unfinished rooms at the mansion. Is that not good enough for you?" Kagome quipped, but nonetheless started walking.

Hiei said honestly, "All that crap is garbage that has only one use: being melted down for scrap. I'd go on my own, but I already know you won't let me."

"Damn straight, I won't." Kagome muttered, surprising Hiei with the swear. "Knowing you, you'd just flit off and get yourself killed."

"So you admit there are people who would kill another person, but you won't let your child protect herself?" Hiei replied smoothly. Oh yeah, he had set that one up.

A flush came to Kagome's face so quickly, it was as if she had seen a ghost. "No one is going to hurt her!" Kagome said angrily, feeling a surge of energy at her fingertips, a bolt of magic that wanted to be used with her anger. It was always so much more willing to be used when she was angry. She pulled it back, with difficulty. It was also so much harder to not use it when she was angry.

"How are those witch lessons you're giving her coming along anyway?" Hiei continued. This was the longest conversation he had been able to have with her for a long time without feeling the urge to run away and hide. Maybe his crush had gone away? To be honest, that was a little disappointing to think. In fact, he actually felt like goading her further into the argument, and it felt good.

"She's doing fine! She's at a sixth grade math level and she's only five!" Kagome snapped back as they turned onto the road the jeweler, blacksmith, and barber set up shop. Kagome assumed it was because Ka had been so good at math that Akari was tapping subconsciously into the knowledge of her soul, and wondered if Ka was somewhere in there, lying dormant.

"But she hasn't managed to cast even a simple illusion spell? Amazing progress, I'm sure, for a child."

"Leave her alone, will you?"

Hiei again barbed, "You suck at math and you can consciously cast at least an illusion spell. Granted, it's all you can do, but at least you have something you can rely on in a harmful situation to help you escape. What has she got?"

Kagome said nothing in reply, instead she started brooding. What if he was right? What if something bad were to happen?

Hiei, seeing her thinking about it, said, "That griffon you saw five years ago? What would you have done if it had not just taken flight after it saw you? Magic doesn't work on some demons. It would have seen through your illusion and tore the both of you in half, and I wouldn't have been able to stop it either. Griffons are among the strongest full animal demons, aside from dragons."

Again, Kagome didn't respond. But if Hiei couldn't stop it, would a child ever have a chance? Would she stand a chance against it?

"At least give it some serious thought. If you change your mind, let me know. Normal children would have started learning three years ago, but she was too small then. She's big enough now. And you never know... she might actually enjoy herself." Hiei stopped at the blacksmith's hut and looked at Kagome. "Think of it this way; she gets older and starts dating and a boy wants her to go farther than she's ready for, at least then she's got a last resort for saying no." That was so not Hiei saying that. Keiko had pointed that out to Hiei the last time she visited, only this was about Kagome that Keiko had said it.

Hiei didn't say that it was illegal for commonfolk to learn to fight, and that in the Demon Realm, it was illegal for weapons to be carried by anyone except military personnel except when the Dark Tournament came around. He didn't need to give Kagome more reason not to let Akari learn.

Hiei entered the blacksmith's shop to find the sweaty, sooty, heavily muscled Haruo leaning against his shop counter, the young child sitting on top of the counter with a cool glass of water in both hands. She had ridden her trike right into the shop and parked it underneath a halbard on display on the wall. "And Miho said, you're not smart, you're dumb chicken poop." Akari was telling the big man, "And I said, you're displaying your own latent fear of being an idiot by calling me one."

"Very smart." The man said. "Your momma's teachin' you up proper, ain't she?"

"Mommy is mad at Uncle Yusuke, who I don't even know. But I don't know why. He promised something to mommy five years ago, but that's all I know. Maybe he promised to come visit but never did! Mommy is very strict about keeping your promises." Akari jabbered.

When Haruo noticed Hiei, he nodded to a small brown paper package crudely wrapped and tied with a ragged strip of twine that was on one of the many counters displaying the blacksmith's goods. Hiei picked it up and nodded his thanks to the blacksmith, and tucked the package under his arm.

"Mommy says people who make promises and don't do everything in their power to keep them are the lesser man. She says, it's not how much money a person has, or how much power someone has in business or government matters; it's how a man treats a waitress at a restaurant, or how a woman tips for her morning coffee. I haven't quite figured that one out yet, but I will!"

"Keep tryin', I always say." Haruo nodded. "So I hear its someone's birthday."

Akari bounced again. "It's my birthday! I'm five today!"

"You know, I hear the jeweler across the street gives away one free piece of jewelry to good little girls and boys on their birthdays." Haruo set Akari on the ground and she raced to her trike with excitement. She nearly bowled her mother right over as Kagome was coming in. Haruo turned his attention to Hiei. "Jun just delivered it this morning. Thought they wouldn't have it ready, but it was."

"If it fits, I'll give you the second half of your money." Hiei told him. Haruo shrugged as if it didn't matter to him at all if he got money for his work or not.

Kagome cleared her throat a bit to interrupt them and said, "Where is Akari going?"

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	169. P4: Akari's Fifth Birthday

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: These chapters are not screwed up, I'll have you know. I just finally got to separating them like they should have been originally. Thank you for your concerns, and for voicing them. __**

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**_

Chapter 167: "Akari's Fifth Birthday" Part Four

Akari parked her trike outside the jeweler's place with a broad smile and stampeded up the front steps to enter the small shop. The door bell jingled, alerting the jeweler to come out of the back room. "Ah, the birthday girl has come to call at last! You have five birthday presents waiting here, you know. Five years and you never come to see me."

Goldie the jeweler was an elderly man, rich and well off thanks to tourists and his high quality products. His gray hair was thinning greatly and his long nose held glasses that made his eyes look three times bigger than they really were. He used to make all the jewelry himself, but arthritis forced him to stop and leave the Goldie secret of jewelry making with his twenty-seven year old son.

"But sir, I want to get a present for mommy! Mr. Haruo gave me this for my birthday." she dug in her pocket and pulled out a grimy five dollar bill, holding it as high as she could, trying to put it on the counter, but she just couldn't reach. "And I would trade in my birthday present to get mommy something really nice. Do I have enough money?"

Goldie smiled, touched by Akari's generosity. The whole village was aware of how kind Akari was, and of the good relationship Akari had with her mother. Neither Akari, nor Kagome had ever shown the village any inkling of a darker side that nobles often had. Kagome was rich, but she didn't act like it. She didn't carry herself like she was better than the villagers, and she didn't wear expensive garments or jewelry that cost a fortune. She didn't throw her money around like the village was a charity case either.

All Kagome's good nature was rubbing off on the expressive little girl as well. But then again, Mr. Haruo had quite a variety of children who would come in on their birthday and say they wanted to give their present to their mom and it was because their mother demanded they say it. However Kagome didn't seem like the type of person to Goldie who would do that.

"Let's see what you can get with that money. Come around here, child, come around." Akari raced around the counter, still carrying the dirty five dollar bill. As she did, the old man lifted her up so she could view inside the glass case at all the pretty jewelry. "Do you see anything that your mum might like?"

"Mommy doesn't like necklaces. But mommy would like that!" Akari pointed to a tiny ring, very simple and ordinary, and in fact made completely of plastic. It had no decorations or engravings in the blue plastic, it was just a simple band. "Do I have enough for that one?" she asked the elderly man.

"I think you do!" The man said with surprise. He would have let Akari pick anything, no matter how expensive it was. And instead, the child picked one that could have come out of a child's quarter vending machine. He set Akari down and made a big show of going through his keys to open the case and take out the ring. "Should I wrap it?"

Akari shook her head. "Mommy doesn't like surprises. I think I will just give it to her." Akari held up her money and the man again made a big deal of ringing up the sale, nearly grinning when Akari got a worried look on her face as if maybe the pushing of all those buttons meant she didn't have enough. "Four dollars and twenty four cents is your change. And here you go, the special ring. What about your birthday present?"

Akari stuffed the money haphazardly into her dress pocket and held tight to the ring. "I'm not greedy. I would rather have a hug instead of jewels!" She spread her arms wide, and the old man couldn't help but laugh. Akari just looked so a-damn-dorable, as his son would have put it. He bent down and hugged the child.

"Don't you ever grow up," he told her.

"No worries there, sir! I will be little forever. Mommy said so, because I was born early. Thank you very much! Mommy will love this. Bye bye!" she stumbled her way out of the jeweler's in time to see her mother exiting the blacksmith's.

Kagome was relieved to see Akari hop onto her trike and pedal over. Akari was smiling broadly. The jeweler, Mr. Goldie, was standing in his shop entrance, watching with a smile, his crow's eyes fixed on Akari. "Good morning, Mr. Goldie!" Kagome called with a wave, and he returned her greeting.

"Mommy, mommy! I got you something special!" Akari called loudly as she stopped at Kagome's feet. She held up her hand to her mother, displaying the cheap, but heartfelt gift.

Kagome felt a tickle in her heart that was warming her from head to toe, and an actual tear came to her eyes at Akari's sweet gesture. "Oh, baby, you didn't have to do that."

"Please take it, mommy! I want you to have it so you always remember me. I spent lots of my birthday money from Mr. Haruo on it 'cause I love you this much!" She spread her arms as far as they would go to emphasize her point.

Kagome knelt beside her daughter, sniffling. "I would never forget you. Never." She hugged her daughter and took the ring. It fit her pinky finger perfectly. "Thank you. I love it."

"Mommy loves it!" Akari giggled to herself.

"And I love you too. You're the best miracle I could ever ask for."

Akari wheeled her trike around happily, losing her money all over the place. Kagome wiped her eyes and picked it up as Akari dropped it, walking after her daughter, who was headed who-knew-where. She waved at Mr. Goldie with a thankful smile and he chuckled and reentered his shop. Hiei soon fell into step beside Kagome as they made their way to the town square in a small three-man parade with Akari in the lead.

"What's that?" Kagome asked Hiei, noticing the package.

Hiei shrugged; he did that a lot lately. "A gift." was his simple reply.

"If it is for Akari, you should catch her now. She'll be too hyper later on cake and sugar cookies to even think of presents. You know how she got last year." Kagome told him cooly and waved at barber Ken who was cutting the rich and stuffy Poodle Lady's hair on his porch. Kagome didn't know what the woman's name was, and really never bothered to learn it. Poodle Lady and Kagome didn't mesh well because their ideals and beliefs were too different. "Kennie, how are you?" she called.

Ken waved back and called, "I've had my better customers--I mean days!" He laughed as Poodle Lady scowled and her pet poodle curled up at her feet began to bark.

"Don't let it get you down. There are other custom--I mean days." She said back, which made Ken laugh harder, and Hiei snort. Poodle Lady glared at Kagome, but Kagome didn't care. She turned her shifting eyes toward the town square, where Akari had joined the "Trike Gang" again to ride in circles around the angel water fountain in the center of the square, ringing their bells.

Kagome and Hiei took a seat near Welena, who was pouring more cups of juice. The muffins were gone, but the smell of baking wafted out of the bakery, alerting Kagome to the fact that Baker was making more muffins, and cookies too probably. "Welena, how are you feeling? Datii told me you are with child."

Welena placed her hand on her stomach, hidden beneath the folds of her dress while Hiei pointedly ignored their current line of conversation. She smiled slyly. "Baker finally agreed to let me be the mother of his child."

Baker wasn't able to have children, though, and both women knew this. Welena had told Kagome in a conversation once that they had tried for years with no success at all. Baker's brother Coten had offered to donate to Welena. Sperm bank technology wasn't available in the Demon Realm, though, so that meant Coten got a night of intimacy with his brother's wife.

"And?" Kagome inquired. "How did it go? Was it, painful?"

Welena chuckled, "Oh, gods, no! It was boring, but it served its purpose. The midwife says I am positive. Baker and Coten aren't on speaking terms, but Baker is happy at any rate. Here, have some juice." She set a glass in front of Hiei and Kagome both. "Her Little Ladyship looks happy too." Welena commented.

"I hope she is... Tomorrow she might not be."

"Why not, my Lady?" Hiei's ears perked toward the conversation, and he grasped the glass in his fingers, gulping all of it. Finally he seemed interested.

Kagome answered, "I am taking her to visit my mother for the first time."

"Why? What's so bad about that?" Welena seemed surprised. She took a penny from a young boy and added it to the growing jar, handing him a cup of grape juice. He gulped heavily from the cup.

"Let's just say my mother and I aren't on speaking terms." Kagome sipped her juice as Akari raced over, panting, her trike left behind momentarily.

"Mommy, can I, no, _may_ I have some of your juice, please?" Akari asked politely, huffing a bit from her running around. Her cheeks were rosy and warm and her smile was broad. She was happy to play with the other children. Despite that she was so small, and that she was the daughter of a 'rich woman' she was accepted into their group as if her dress had patches and holes in it too.

Kagome pushed her cup toward Akari and the child slopped more on herself than she actually drank--again. "Akari..." Kagome sighed and took the washrag the chuckling Welena was holding out. She wiped her squirming child with it. "There. Now go play--watch out for the, rock..." the warning came too late. Akari stumbled on a stone and went tumbling head over heels, but was just as quickly back up again, ready to play despite her scraped knee.

She didn't cry. She didn't scream. The other children teased Akari for being a "Clumsy Cody". Akari blushed but with a grace beyond her years, she sucked it in like it were a compliment from her greatest of friends. "I wonder who she takes after?" Hiei chortled.

"Oh you hush your mouth," Kagome pursed her lips, remembering all the times he had frightened her into falling over. And every time he said the same thing: Are you always that clumsy, or do you make a habit of falling over?

Silence reigned among the three adults for a few moments. Hiei had a hard time keeping a straight face as he remembered all the times Kagome had tilted over. The sounds of children laughing and the usual bustle of the village reached Kagome's ears like music. She watched Akari as the child interacted with the others as easily as Baker made pies.

The village headman ambled by, nodding curtly toward Kagome; the two of them had not really gotten off on the right foot. He had blown up at Kagome when she suggested moving the village inside her mansion gates four years ago. A clear contradiction to what she had told Hiei, that she wasn't at all worried about attacks.

That wasn't true. She was worried about attacks. But if anything happened, Akari would be safe.

Hiei looked at Kagome. "Will you give this to Akari?" he asked, holding out the grubby package Haruo gave him.

"No I will not." Kagome replied instantly, not even looking at it. "You'll have to do it yourself."

He was silent for a moment and then said, "...Please?"

Kagome made the mistake of looking at Hiei; he looked so pleading it was impossible to refuse. She took the package and called her daughter back over. A mean trick played in her mind that she just couldn't resist. "What mommy?" Akari asked.

"Daddy wants you to have this, but he's too scared of cooties to give it to you himself!"

Akari's eyes went wide and she glanced at Hiei. Hiei glared at Kagome, but before another word could be said, he was gone and she felt his presence fading fast toward the mansion. Akari giggled and unwrapped the package. "What is it?"

"It's a crown." Welena offered. "Haruo mentioned it."

"Let's put this on you, birthday girl." Kagome smiled. She picked up the small circlet and threaded the two spike pins through Akari's hair as best she could. The circlet was simple, forged out of tempered steel. Kagome frowned when she saw the spike pins were removable, and they were weapons, like Sango had. He just doesn't give up, does he? she thought.

A dewdrop shaped sapphire hung down from the center of the circlet over Akari's forehead and she giggled, "I'm a princess! I will have to catch daddy and give him a big hug!" She said and went back to play. She wouldn't just go tearing after Hiei. She was smarter than that.

After Welena packed up the cups and said goodnight to Kagome, Kagome saw Zenzen, the village headman's daughter, stride by, heading for the village head's home. Zenzen said nothing to Kagome, didn't even glance at her, but Kagome wasn't bothered. Zenzen saw Kagome as a woman of power, and more often than not, women of power did not clash well. Being the headman's daughter, she too was a powerful woman.

Kagome figured she better get Akari back to the mansion before Sesshoumaru arrived. Akari knew she wasn't supposed to tell Sesshoumaru or Chu that they went out of the mansion when the two of them weren't looking, but that would be a pointless secret to have if they didn't beat Sesshoumaru's clock.

"Akari, time to go home!" Kagome called toward the mass of swarming heads. Akari squeezed herself out of the sea of wrestling children, her birthday dress dirty and torn, and her face feverish with glee, as she mounted her trike, ready to ride home. She had lost a shoe, but apparently hadn't noticed. Kagome went over and teased her child gently, "Now what has my kitten, gone and lost a mitten, no she shall have no pie..."

Akari looked up at Kagome with a lost look on her face. "What are you talking about, mommy?" she asked.

Kagome said, "Oh nevermind. Where's your shoe, sweetie?"

* * *

**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	170. Hiei Suffers

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: These chapters are not screwed up, I'll have you know. I just finally got to separating them like they should have been originally. Thank you for your concerns, and for voicing them. __**

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Chapter 170: Hiei Suffers

Hiei felt a painful tearing feeling on his arm and he pulled back his sleeve, to see a bloody rip in his skin that only increased in length as he watched, as if an invisible something or other was ripping his skin right off.

More pain stretched up his body and down to his toes and he had to bite his lip hard enough to make it bleed in order to keep from screaming in pain. It didn't hurt as much as when he was attacking himself with his raging elements, but it hurt enough to paralyze his movements.

He sat, watching himself fall apart with horror. He should know better than to drink something given to him by a demon! Pain in his stomach made him double over, and he nearly clipped his head on the edge of his desk.

He couldn't even scream, it hurt so bad. His jaw was clenched and his voice box misplaced. He didn't realize he had hit the floor because he didn't feel it and the floor, thanks to Kagome, was invisible. It hadn't been hard for the small demon to get into the mansion, despite the locked gates. He had immediately gone to his room and locked himself in.

Even he couldn't explain why he was so afraid to let a little girl touch him. Maybe it was just a game he enjoyed playing with her, and he actually didn't fear her, but whatever it was, all that was pushed to the back of his mind as his life, filled with horror, clashed before his eyes.

He felt like he was floating in a sea of agony. His skin tore off like it was nothing, and when his body, which seemed to be bloating, got to be too big for his clothes, they too ripped off.

There, despite it being so long ago, he could see his mother the Ice Maiden, placing him in a basket and then her face disappeared and the view of the woods showed up. He cried out for his mother...

A new face, new hope... A human woman carried him and his basket back to a small hut in the woods. A demon glanced at him, nodded, and said, "We shall call him... Agomuvi." The woman glared at him and he quickly changed his mind, "Hiei then?" The woman nodded. "Well, I liked Agomuvi better," the man grumbled...

Pain and suffering... The man cut him open and put one of his own eyes into the boy's skull. For a long time, the eye acted like a separate entity from him, but slowly the eye's power merged with the boy's over the years, the original pink rimmed in blue becoming crimson like the boy's natural eye color.

A sea of hate and anger and confusion surged through him. Terrified women cowaring in fear of the bandit group. These women as much victims as he comforted him; hugged him; held him; told him stories of better days. He had forgotten their kindness. Blood everywhere, on his hands, on his feet, on his face and stomach. The bandits were dead and lay in heaps around him. The women needed to be set free and he released them, but they ran from him in fear now, afraid for their lives by the Forbidden Child...

Hardships and loneliness... A demon slayer mated with a demon taught him the art of the exterminator and how to adapt to every change in the environment big or small, and how to live life as a wandering fighter, someone seeking freedom from persecution. A freedom he had never found...

Sorrow... Dealing with changes in his body and no one to turn to for help in the matter. Feeling strange emotions in places he didn't think should have such feelings. Dealing with the fact that everyone would throw rocks at him, raise their pitchforks and light their torches. And everyone knew what he was. Having nothing to do except train himself to be stronger and survive longer while the world sent assassin's after him who wanted to collect the bounty on his head--one placed there simply because he existed...

Happiness... Seeing Kagome's face every day and reveling in the fact that he could startle interesting reactions out of her endlessly. Seeing Akari racing after him, yelling at him that he was too fast for her and absolutely loving the fact that Akari didn't run from him in fear. Knowing that Kagome and Akari would never hate him for what he was...

Oh pain... what was that drink?

**-Elsewhere-**

The smell of burning wood and flesh and fresh blood permeated in the town square heavily after Kagome had left to go back up to the mansion. Baker watched as his wife reacted to the smell of cooking fingernails and vomited all over his cash register. Screams lifted into the air, the warning that something terrible was happening.

"Welena, get down in the cellar!" Baker said.

Between gasps for breath and resisting the urge to vomit again, Welena said, "Baker, that's not the safest place to be!"

"Get down there now." Baker urged again. "I won't lose you, Wel. I won't!" Baker knelt on the floor and ripped up the floorboards behind the muffin display. Welena gasped as she saw what he was taking out of a hollow underneath the wood.

"Baker, what are you _doing_?" she asked, resisting the urge to vomit again. The scent was becoming overwhelming. "Real weapons are illegal among the commonfolk, you know they are!"

"Wel, we both know what that smell is. Have you forgotten who I was before we met? I have the power to protect you! I won't stand by and watch this." Baker took the heavy doubleheaded rust-crusted axe from the hiding space under the tiles. "You changed part of me, Wel. I may not be a bandit anymore, but I sure as hell remember how to fight!"

"Baker, don't!" Welena begged him, but the portly man had already raced away. She looked down in the hole in the floor. A miserable looking rusty old dagger with an eight inch long blade sat in the hollow. She placed a hand on her stomach and then was racing outside with the dagger in her hand before she knew she had even come to a decision.

After that, the last thing she would ever see was Kagome reentering the village on her left at a run her sun dress whipping around her legs and her hair streaming behind her. There was a determined look on Kagome's face. Determined and downright furious.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	171. Miho Bee

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: People get strange, and I get stranger. Nothing to do about that, is there?__**

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Chapter 171: Miho Bee

Sesshoumaru already knew what had happened to his friend before he even lay eyes on him that windy afternoon. The breeze swept his long hair from his body as he looked down upon the injured human and frowned. He didn't have to ask the age old question anymore. It was obvious. Miroku was the Guardian of the Barrier between the three worlds, Human, Demon, and Spirit. His life was sustained by the barrier, and his life sustained the barrier.

Miroku looked so alone laying there. He looked miserable and his eyes had a dull faraway look to them. He was probably thinking of his wife, and of the children he could never see again. Responsibility had taken a heavy toll on him. He was an emotional wreck. He looked constantly for a companion for an evening, or for life.

"Seven ogre clans joined forces and attacked the barrier near Palchouk." Miroku muttered under his breath, and even Sesshoumaru had to strain to hear him. Sesshoumaru knelt down beside Miroku. "Then the Sorkers near Lebnik attacked the barrier and I had to split myself to cover both fights." Miroku was a bloody mess. There must not have been a bone unbroken in his body, but it was healing at a phenomenal rate, the bones sounding like Rice Crispies as they mended themselves and his skin making squelching sounds as the bones were brought back inside.

"Rainie would have helped you; why didn't you call her?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"A dragon had her busy near Tokukan." Miroku explained. "I dealt with the ogres and the Sorkers, and then headed over to help Rainie with the dragon. That's how I got like this. The dragon stepped on me and killed me, but the damn barrier won't let me stay dead."

"You can give me the barrier, Miroku." Sesshoumaru said quietly. "I can take that responsibility off your shoulders."

Miroku was finally able to sit up again. All that remained to prove he had ever been injured was the blood that stained his entire body, matted his hair. He looked at Sesshoumaru out of the corner of his eye before closing them and feeling a bit of hysterical laughter bubble out of his throat. When he was able to, he said, "You have a wife, a son, and a daughter, and you are King Enma. You don't have time for this job."

He stood and looked for a second like he was listening for something. And he sighed. "Not even a moment to breathe before something comes up again. I suppose a shower is out of the question." He began walking and before Sesshoumaru could call out for Miroku to stop, his friend had faded away as if he had turned into vapor.

**-Demon Realm-**

Clad in only his old robes of the fire rat, Inuyasha walked through the mansion's remains in search of more people who had survived the collapse of the walls. There wasn't much left standing of the mansion, but there was a recently built greenhouse at the back of the property near the south wall and tower that they were putting the injured in after throwing all the plants and tables outside the building to create more room.

Those commonfolk who were able also dug tirelessly through the rubble, searching for loved ones. Inuyasha had reached the only tower that wasn't still standing. The towers were far enough from the main building that the collapse hadn't affected them too much, but the long stretching corridors that led to each one were half caved in.

Two soldiers and a big man with the arms of a blacksmith were digging here, where one bloody finger poked out of the wreakage. Inuyasha bent to put his back to use, grabbing a large stone and putting it aside. The big man had a sword clasped to his waist, which was illegal for commonfolk, but Inuyasha wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to raise a menial issue like arresting the man for carrying a weapon when they needed all the able help they could to scrounge through the mess.

One of the soldiers moved a rock and a head appeared, bloody and without skin to it, it looked like. Not only that, but the person was still conscious. Inuyasha felt pity on the poor guy and called over two medics with a stretcher as his soldiers and the big man worked faster to dig out the guy.

"General, sir!" a soldier saluted to Inuyasha, his palm flat against his chest plate before he slapped it to his side and bent his back in a respective bow. Inuyasha looked at the soldier as he stood from the bow and continued with his report. "Survivors are able to be questioned now, sir!"

Inuyasha nodded and followed the soldier back to the greenhouse where he didn't enter but turned sharply to the right and headed around the glass building to a makeshift tent along the side. Two soldiers stood post here to make sure that whatever might be said inside the tent was not heard by commonfolk. "Go back to work," Inuyasha told the soldier. "You go help." He told one of the guard soldiers. The two jogged to do as they were told, and Inuyasha looked at the last remaining soldier. "Someone in there already?" he asked.

"Commonfolk cook for the mansion, Datii Bee, and her son, Miho Bee, sir!" the soldier said in response. Inuyasha swept past the soldier and entered the tent. Two young unicorn demons sat at the table put there from in the green house. Chairs had been brought from the greenhouse as well.

Inuyasha sat in his place and looked at the two for a long moment. There was not a single scratch on either of them, which was suspicious. The mother, Datii, looked extremely shaken. The son, Miho, had a look of calmness in his eyes, one beyond his years even for a unicorn demon who was born with an intimate knowledge of healing. But even unicorn demons couldn't heal so fast.

"You are Datii Bee?" Inuyasha asked the mother, and she nodded slowly. "You work here in the mansion?"

"Worked, Lordship." Datii corrected him nervously. "After this, Ladyship is sure t' terminate my services."

"What happened here?" Inuyasha continued. "People have lost arms, legs, and even their lives. Why are you and this boy the only ones uninjured?" He wanted to get right to the heart of the matter.

"Ladyship come runnin' in with th' little lady an' told me, take her an' hide in Chu's work shed. She say not t' come out 'till she returns. We hid like she told us, but th' little lady ran out o' th' shed an' then we heard fighting. I tried t' go after th' little lady, but Miho cast sleep on me."

Damn Inuyasha hated when they got hysterical. They talked so fast he could never make heads or tails of what they said, and their inability to speak very well didn't help matters. It was like being back in the Feudal Era--another reason he preferred the Human World now that he realized it was so much better.

"Have yah found th' little lady? Is Ladyship okay?"

Inuyasha didn't answer. He turned his head toward the entrance of the tent. Approaching footsteps were halted by the guard outside, and there was a quiet murmur. Inuyasha didn't bother trying to hear; he had taught his men to speak so that no one out of five feet could hear. It prevented eavesdropping problems.

A second later, the guard he had set outside the tent entered and saluted, a troubled look on his face. "Sir, Medic Orce requests your presence in the greenhouse."

Inuyasha nodded and looked back at Datii and her smirking son. He got a cold feeling from the boy that he didn't like at all, but he kept this to himself. Likely it was nothing. The kid was probably reacting strangely to the catastrophe. He knew he would be if he were Miho.

"Everything is going to be fine." He reassured the two, though he wished he felt as confident as he sounded. This place was the home Sesshoumaru had bought for the young human female he claimed was like a sister. The home of Kagome Higurashi, the person who Sesshoumaru claimed Inuyasha knew personally, though Inuyasha had never known anyone with the name Kagome period!

"I will send a medic here to examine you both for injuries. He will ask you questions; I want you to cooperate with him and answer them all to the best extent of your knowledge. You will then be escorted to the tent we have set up on the other side of the greenhouse. Both of you can rest there, assured that everything will be taken care of." Inuyasha stood up walked to where his soldier still stood in the entrance of the tent. "I will tell Medic Yingomae to come here and examine them." The soldier nodded.

Both men turned and looked at the young boy when the kid started snickering uncontrollably. "Happy birthday, you stupid annoying brat," the boy muttered viciously between breathless laughter. Datii burst into tears and put her face in her hands. "What has happened to my baby boy?" Datii mourned.

Unnerved, Inuyasha leaned over and spoke quietly to the soldier. "Don't take your eyes off him. Not for a second." Again the soldier nodded and Inuyasha headed for the greenhouse.

It didn't take long to get there considering it was just a few steps away. Medic Orce was standing outside with a troubled look on his face as he oversaw the transportation of two injured people on stretchers. "What's up, Orce?" he asked as he drew even with the Medic.

"Damn fools!" Orce shouted and punched the air. "Get it in your heads! The doors are not wide enough for horizontal entrance! Vertical, vertical, VERTICAL!" The soldiers switched positions and entered the greenhouse. "Your Highness, I can't take much more of this! I'm this close to resigning my post!" he emphasized by putting his fingers close together.

Inuyasha patted Orce on the back. "You always say that, but you know, you do the best job as lead medic than anyone else could. Now what can I help with?"

"Heavy handed as you are, you'd kill all my patients." Orce huffed and stalked into the greenhouse after the last group of soldiers had gone in. "No, you sorry assed buffoons!" He yelled. "Conserve space! They go horizontal! Horizontal!" Orce had been working beside Inuyasha as lead medic for nearly two hundred years now, and he often threatened to resign, but never had. "I swear, pea-sized brains, the lot of you!"

"Orce, I could be helping move the debris and searching for more injured right now. Don't waste my time. Yell at them later." He looked around at Orce's work. It was amazing how the aged demon did so well with such little space. He had made room for a capacity of two hundred people at least in the makeshift infirmary. Inuyasha didn't know anyone who could have done better.

"See for yourself! Got a kid over here took a dagger and stabbed one of my medics through the hand. He was just taken out of the rubble a quarter hour ago." Orce led the way toward the back of the greenhouse. Inuyasha felt bad as he passed commonfolk of all types who were moaning with pain. They even passed more than a few medics who were putting white sheets over the heads of commonfolk, then loading the newly dead on stretchers to take outside.

"Did you restrain him?" Inuyasha asked, already sure that Orce had. Orce wasn't stupid enough to leave a kid free at a time like this when he was hysterical enough to be on the verge of dangerous.

"We would have, except he's been skinned like pork, and it's because he's so fragile that we can't get close enough--safely--to put him in any sort of restraints." Orce had a confused look on his face, as if he had never encountered something like what was happening now, never before in his two hundred years as a military medic.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	172. Dead Kid Matured?

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: People get strange, and I get stranger. Nothing to do about that, is there?__**

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Chapter 172: Dead Kid Matured?

"Where is he now?" Inuyasha inquired.

"Curled up in a corner. He attacks people the instant they get too close. Little bastard is fast. Keeps saying 'Nice try Koenma, you can't kill me; I'll get my eye back from you and then we'll see who dies' over and over like a mantra. See, there he is," Orce pointed to the corner they were approaching. Two soldiers were at the ready with halbards that crackled with electricty incase the wild demon attacked.

Inuyasha nodded to Orce; he would take care of this situation. Orce looked relieved and left it to him, heading back to his work. A sigh bubbled out of Inuyasha's throat. This was what things boiled down to in the end: Inuyasha the half-breed having to rekindle the fire of reason and logic in a demon who lost his mind. And while he was doing this, his business in the Human World was failing because he wasn't there to keep it afloat.

Inuyasha slowly approached the crouched demon, observing him. He was obviously male. His gentiles told that much. His hair was falling out in clumps and there was a massive hole in his forehead like something was supposed to be there. His body was out of proportion, one leg looked to be nearly a foot longer than the other, and one hand having fingers that were several inches too long to be right on him. Those long fingers were clasped in a prayer around the hilt of the dagger he held and his eyes were closed. He muttered constantly, his lips moving quickly.

"--I won't die, Koenma; you will," the kid was saying in a scratchy voice. He sat in a puddle of his blood. His knees and feet were bleeding from scraping on the floor with no flesh to protect the muscles. "You took my eye; I'll take your life. I'll wring your neck myself and then I won't die, Koenma; you will."

Inuyasha passed the soldiers, placing his left had on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga that was on his waist to his left side for comfort. He had never encountered such a situation either. A kid who had been skinned and left for dead? Was it Inuyasha's nephew Koenma who had ordered such a thing to be done? No way that was possible! Koenma might have become socially unstable since demon maturity, but that did not make Koenma stupid. He wouldn't have done this. Would he have?

Or, Inuyasha supposed, the question really was... would Koenma risk doing something so bold, and yet cunning, to hurt his father? The answer to that was, Yes. Inuyasha believed that the Koenma after he reached his adult stage _would_ do something like this, just to make his father angry. But why here? Why now?

And while the disproportionate kid muttered to an unfazed and unhearing third party named Koenma, Inuyasha didn't think this was Koenma's doing. No, Koenma was fond of sending his Spirit Detectives to clear things up. The one human kid went missing, the fire apparition disappeared, and the other human kid left Koenma's employ to become Sesshoumaru's personal assistant. Koenma still had two left though, the witch and the fox spirit-human boy.

All the signs, and according to the village commonfolk, it was a group of bandits that attacked the village. They raided the jewelry store and the blacksmithy, stole a handful of women and children, and took off into the woods again. That didn't fit the style of the Spirit Detectives at all.

Inuyasha had been keeping tabs on Koenma's Spirit Detectives, since of course Inuyasha was in charge of their payroll, being head of finances in the Spirit World. Still, what would this creepy demon have to do with Koenma? It wasn't exactly a common name. People just didn't name their children after Princes who were believed to be gods. And how would this demon come to know Koenma?

Inuyasha stared and he stared; what was that hole in the middle of the boy's forehead? He approached the muttering demon carefully, ready to subdue the kid if he tried to attack him. Inuyasha didn't care about injuries he might give to the kid like the medics did. People didn't attack the General of Sesshoumaru's army and expect him to 'play nice'. No, if this kid attacked him, he would show exactly why Sesshoumaru trusted him to command his armies after Zoe died all those years ago.

Inuyasha didn't want to startle the kid into doing something brash and stupid though, hilarious as that seemed. Hilarious and familiar, as who used to be the brash and stupid one? When the demon's bloody fingers twitched on the hilt of the dagger, Inuyasha said, "I'm here to help you," in a slow and meticulous voice. To emphasize that, he took off the red haori to his robe of the fire rat, continuing forward with it outstretched.

"Kurama betrayed me, Kuwabara never cared, Yusuke same fate, Koenma will die," the boy ambled on, his eyes in and out of focus, but they remained looking straight at Inuyasha. Inuyasha held the boy's eyes with his own. He would not back down from a threat; he hadn't in years, and damn it he would not start now!

Kuwabara was the name of the fourth of the Spirt Detectives, the kid who had become Sesshoumaru's personal assistant! Inuyasha shoved this knowledge aside. The other two names sounded familiar, but nothing came to mind at the moment for them, and he didn't press the knowledge. They were right at the tip of his tongue! He swore it! "I'm going to come close to you. I'm going to cover you with my haori. Do you understand me? Can you hear me?"

The boy's eyes focused sharply on Inuyasha suddenly and Inuyasha watched as muscles twitched all over his body. "I have to kill Koenma." He whispered, wringing his hands on the hilt of the blade he held. His blood dripped to the floor, pooling more and more. "You... you understand, right? You know why, right?"

"No, I don't know. Why must you?" Inuyasha asked, moving ever closer still. So far he hadn't been attacked; that was a good thing. He didn't want to hurt the kid, but if he had to restrain him, he would. The kid could do more damage to himself trying to attack Inuyasha than the merciful General would do to him should he have to stop the young demon.

"He took my eye; can't you see that? Stole it! What am I supposed to do without that? Can't do nothing! Can't do nothing! I can get it back from him when he is dead! You understand right? You know why! ...You know why..."

Inuyasha was close enough. He placed the haori gently on the bloody boy's shoulders, careful not to be rough. He would avoid harming the demon if he could. It was as if the kid didn't even realize Inuyasha was right there, though he was staring right at him. Inuyasha thought back to his last visit with Koenma and frowned as he remembered seeing something that had never been there before. There was an eyeball floating in a glass jar atop Koenma's desk, the iris the same crimson as this boy's eyes.

But why? Was that the hole? And what relation did this gruesome and disfigured kid have to Inuyasha's nephew? "Calm down, kid." Inuyasha said. Everyone was a kid to him these days. He favored the term, though others complained it was less-than endearing. "How about we let the medics bandage you up proper and we can discuss your plans for this Koenma fellow? Will you give me the knife? The medics need it to cut strips of bandages for you."

The boy had a glazed look in his eyes, but he let the dagger fall to the ground. Inuyasha picked it up and handed it to the medic nearby holding a jar of salve. "Dear me, your Highness," the female chortled quietly, "you do have a way with words, don't you now?"

Inuyasha ignored her compliment. He didn't really do anything; all he did was allow a kid who was currently (and clearly) mentally unstable think he was in charge, when all along it was Inuyasha who had the upper hand in everything. Inuyasha did this sort of thing so often these days that it was second nature now, whereas hundreds of years ago this sort of thing never happened.

"Don't try to make small talk with him," Inuyasha warned the medic. "He might feel cornered and lash out if you do." Inuyasha was thinking of a little boy he had once saved, the reason he was partially blind. He tried to talk to a frightened kid while he cleaned and bandaged the child up to take the kid's mind off the burning pain of the antiseptic, and the kid felt trapped and acted accordingly, emitting a liquid acid from every pore in his body that created a noxious gas and got into Inuyasha's eyes.

"Sir, Haruo the village blacksmith is ready for questioning," one of his soldiers told him with a salute like the others had done. Inuyasha nodded, but it would be a minute before he headed toward the interrogation tent. He wanted to watch and be sure the kid was taken care of properly. It wasn't that he distrusted his medics and thought they might do a bad job. On the contrary, he was worried the kid might do something that forced the medic to do a bad job which was no one's fault but the kid's.

His medic did a wonderful job and the boy was cooperating now. His eyes were still glazed, but he wasn't muttering about Koenma anymore.

Satisfied that things would be taken care of, Inuyasha turned heel to make his way out of the greenhouse for the tent that Haruo the blacksmith was awaiting him in. He considered how he could approach the blacksmith with questions on the way, but knew he wouldn't be able to make his mind up until he actually saw the man.

Unfortunately, as the fates loved to toy with people and screw up their lives as much as possible, there was a very loud cry of pain and he looked back hastily, worried that the kid might have finally registered that the medics were close to him and lashed out. This was not exactly the case, and the cry echoed even over the moaning that filled the greenhouse like a noxious gas.

The boy had doubled over, his face very near touching the ground, and the bandages that the medics had just put on moments before began to rip and tear as the boy's arm bloated out like the effect of a marshmallow being microwaved. "Good gods, what have you done?" Medic Orce demanded, stalking over to where Inuyasha stood, the female medic not too far away.

"I don't know, Medic Orce!" the female said, panicking. "He was okay a minute ago!"

Orce grumbled and mumbled, but he walked forward saying something about knowing what was going on now. "What's happening to him?" Inuyasha asked Orce. The medic said nothing, still grumbling to himself. Inuyasha felt a bit tickled around the edges at the lack of response. As the lead General in Sesshoumaru's armies, he was spoiled rotten and he knew it. Everyone jumped when told them to, instantly.

The boy screamed louder as the pain intensified and held his bleeding head in his hands, tearing flesh off with his hair as one would peel an orange. He raked his nails down his face, dragging away muscle with the motion and causing blood to spatter everywhere. The female medic cried, "I cannot take this!" She reached out and touched the boy's flesh. All the bandages had ripped off as the boy's body bloated. Some of it had stuck to him, but not all of it.

The instant her hand touched him, there was a bright flash and the boy went limp. "You dumb shit!" Orce yelled, balling his fist and cuffing the woman smartly. "The first thing to know is that they always, _always_, would rather suffer than die! All that was going on was he reached demon maturity! Don't you remember what happened when _you_ reached that stage?"

Inuyasha sighed heavily and took a last look at the boy's limp form before turning and heading for the exit of the greenhouse. Suddenly the place seemed so quiet. The moaning was dim, the flurry of activity was a mere whisper. The sounds died further still when he was outside the glass building. The sound of the commonfolk and soldiers shifting rocks was minor, like pebbles skidding along the ground. The shouts of orders from the soldiers and medics and the screams of angry, tired, and hungry children became the sound of a breeze through the trees.

Inuyasha knew what was coming. He just didn't like it, because that meant something bad...

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	173. The Chosen One

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: People get strange, and I get stranger. Nothing to do about that, is there?__**

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Chapter 173: The Chosen One

_**-In The Darkness Beyond The Grave-**_

_"Where am I?" she wondered, looking down at herself. She was in the dark, she knew that much. She could see her body, or at least part of it. Beyond her waist she could see nothing. "What is this place?" Wherever she was now, her voice echoed. Faces appeared in the dark, glowing faces. "Hello? Who are you people?" _

_"We are the souls of the Spectrum Eyes, those of us who lost our lives fighting to keep the secrets of life unknown." responded one of them. All of their features, Kagome noticed, seemed to be feminine. She tried to move toward them, but it was as though she was stuck in place. "We see all that happens in the past, the present, and the future. We dictate the flow of time through our chosen ones." _

_"Chosen ones?" Kagome asked, wondering if she was one of them, considering she was there. She felt herself moving now, like floating, toward the others. There were hundreds upon hundreds of faces, all looking like they were trying to get a good look at her. "What do you mean, chosen ones? Am I a chosen one?" _

_"No, not yet anyway." said another, her voice more airy than the first. "You are here to make a choice, young warrior priestess." Kagome watched as the face and torso of her five year old baby, Akari, appeared, a sleeping little angel. "We call ourselves Spectrum Eyes, but some call us demons. They label us spectres because they fear us and our silence. Our All-Seeing Eyes." _

_Kagome tried to move toward Akari, to reach out to her baby. Akari seemed unaware of all that was around her. "Who fears you?" Kagome wanted to know as she gave up trying to reach Akari. She looked like she was fine enough where she was. She looked around at the inky black that surrounded them all, thinking, what a lonely place to live. I hope they don't live here. _

_"Mortals fear us." Boomed a small voice. The other Spectrum Eyes moved to the side instantly as though to clear a path for a tiny head with madness in her eyes. The head bobbed toward Kagome, followed by a glowing body complete with even legs, whereas the rest of them, including Kagome and Akari, had only a torso and arms and a head that was all see-through. _

_"What is the All-Seeing Eye?" Kagome now inquired, and received a chanted response of, "Our eyes See all that is the past, the present, and the future. We hold the balance of time." _

_The newcomer said, "We are the force that allows you to go through the well in your mortal world." _

_"Alright then, what choice am I here to make?" Kagome asked the group, surprised she wasn't angry to find that these strange ethereal glowing beings were at the fault of her falling through the well and getting mixed up with dangerous people. _

_"Mortal, we know of your responsibilities. We will review them with you." The newcomer stated, her voice like nails on a chalkboard. Kagome looked closer and saw a striking resemblance to Rin in this mad ghost-like creature. She determined she was dreaming at that moment. _

_"Okay." Kagome agreed. What harm could come from dreaming? When she woke, everything would be okay anyway, right? _

_"You travel through time to collect the Jewel of Four Souls." Stated the airy voiced one, bobbing her head. Yeah, but whose fault was that? Certainly not Kagome's, and these creatures just said they were the force that took her through time, didn't they? They could just as easily take away that responsibility, couldn't they? _

_"You have promised to free a trapped soul." toned the first of them all to speak. Well, she couldn't just leave Seirra stuck in Rei's body. Poor Sesshoumaru, having to pine for his one true love for all those years and she was just barely a breath away... _

_Another one with a brassy voice cried, "You are the Second Chief Advisor to the mortal king Sesshoumaru's council." Again, not her fault. Sesshoumaru just looked so vulnerable she would have killed herself if it made him be himself again. Okay, maybe not that far... _

_Yet another said, "You are a priestess." Completely genetic. _

_Chimed another, "You are a mother." Ka deserved that second chance! _

_"Alright, I get it," Kagome hastened to say, stopping them from listing any more, though she knew there were many things she had every intent to complete. "I've got a lot on my plate. So? Do you think I can't handle it?" _

_"You were cursed by a Blood Crest Demon." piped another quickly, as if it must be known. Whatever that meant... She couldn't remember being cursed by anyone... _

_"You understand all you have already?" Kagome nodded at the mad one. "Then your choice is this: one of you two must take the responsibility to be our chosen one. You, Kagome Lynn Akiko Higurashi, or your daughter, Akari Dekage Nishi Higurashi, must be our Chosen." _

_Kagome didn't even have to think about it twice, not even for a second. There was no way she would put a burden on her daughter's shoulders, especially when Akari was so young still. "I will be your Chosen one. Akari is just a child, still a baby! I would never place my daughter in a situation like that." _

_The gathered heads all nodded and bobbed and Akari's sleeping head disappeared. As if on a silent agreement, the other heads started to disappear until it was just Kagome and the head with mad eyes. "Ask your one question." _

_Not thinking, Kagome asked, "I get only one question?" _

_"Yes." She replied and faded away. _

_"Wait! Wait, come back! That's not fair!" Kagome yelled into the darkness, but she received no answer. Soon she felt herself fading away, and that was when the airy voiced head came to her. _

_"Let no man touch your daughter, for the one who does will be her father, now that she will not be our Chosen." _

_"Wait!" Kagome called as the head started to disappear again. _

_The head gave her a look of what Kagome thought was annoyance. "What? I've got things to do yet to prepare your next departure through the Chaos portal." _

_"Please, that wasn't fair at all! The reason I have all these responsibilities is because you originally pulled me through the well, don't you think I deserve some answers?" Kagome asked the airy one and recieved a short snort of laughter. "Think about it! If you did really pull me through the well originally, that means you're to blame for me having Akari, any curses or promises I might have gotten or made after that, and all the obligations I have to fulfill! So give me some damn answers!" _

_The airy one chuckled again and said, "Alright then, I will humor you. Hurry and ask your questions." _

_"What was that warning?" Kagome demanded, feeling more than irritated that she still was fading away from this dream-like state. This dream was relatively safe, so it was obvious that she would want to stay there as long as possible. It wasn't like the dream she always had of the torture room in a dungeon with a dark cell at the end of the hall. _

_In that dream, she never made it to the cell before something happened and she woke. She couldn't understand why she was having the same dream over and over again. "Our Chosen must not have a child so alike her that both could be the same person. As you mortals term it, her DNA is an exact replica of yours, so she must have a father to complete her birth, and aside from that she cannot be a priestess and a Secret-Keeper like you, because only one may exist in your time and space at a time." _

_"What happens if there's more than one?" Kagome asked. _

_The airy head bobbed, "It becomes a mess that we Guardians of Time must clean up. But you have become a Chosen, so you soon will be a Guardian of Time as well, and you will come to understand quite well the anomalies in time and space that can be created. We Guardians of Time must be sure that the past aligns evenly with the future and present times and only can we do that if we have our Chosen is among the mortals." _

_"How will she change? Why can't she or I choose her father? I don't like that anyone who touches her will be her father." _

_"You care so much that you would make such a difficult decision?" the airy voice inquired and to that Kagome nodded. "She might hate your decision, or her father might. Where would you be then?" _

_Kagome frowned. "I would rather be hated than my daughter mystically becomes the child of someone related like my brother or worse, a boy her age." _

_"Then make your decision soon. You have one week, and I'll be sure your daughter takes his DNA. But try not to let Rinay the First find out, okay? If she does... well, she doesn't like things happening without her knowledge, that's all." _

_"What if I can't find someone in a week? That's not a lot of time, you know!" _

_"Then the decision will fall back upon the first person who touches her after the week is up." _

_Kagome felt a bubble of questions wanting to surge forth, like what was she supposed to do as a Chosen, and why was it either her or her daughter to be the Chosen? Why did they choose her to prance about in the Feudal Era, and why was she pulled through in the first place? Why couldn't someone else have these responsibilities? And why only one week? _

_But before she could ask any more questions, the airy head disappeared and she felt reality clashing hard with her again. _

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	174. Bad Man

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: There is a TMttF forum in my profile. Want to post?__**

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Chapter 174: Bad Man

She heard muffled crying and tried to open her eyes, but could see nothing. When she realized why, she didn't like it. There was a blindfold on her face, so tight that she couldn't even see out of the small space between her nose and cheeks that usually let in light when a blindfold was tied on loosely. It hurt to have that blindfold on.

She tried to remove the blindfold, only to find that her hands were shackled to a wall behind her where she sat. She couldn't even use her shoulder to get it off because it was so tight on. Her feet were angled to her side. She could feel a chill on her legs and remembered she had been wearing a dress. Her legs must be on a stone floor by the feel of it. There was someone curled up against her too, the source of the crying.

"Hello?" she asked to the room and it was a bare whisper, very hoarse. She must have been screaming, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember how she got in this situation.

"Be quiet, Mommy, or the bad man will come back," Akari's extremely frightened voice came to her. The shaking in the form next to her got worse. Kagome assumed that was Akari next to her.

Kagome wanted to ask who the bad man was, and desperately needed to assure Akari that everything was going to be okay, but she dared not make such promises. She didn't know what was going on, and she knew even less what was going to happen in the future. Whether or not she and her daughter would be alright was yet to be seen, and she always disliked making promises she couldn't keep.

Not even two seconds had gone by when Kagome heard footsteps echoing on stone flooring. "Oh no! The bad man is coming," Akari mourned quietly, sounding more scared than before. There was a shuffle of feet behind the first set of footsteps. The second set of feet sounded like heels on pavement.

"You know exactly what I want done." Said a male voice imperiously before there was a clanging sound. Kagome thought that clanging noise was the sound of an old fashioned lock on a jail cell being opened. She'd heard that sound so many times in the Feudal Era when she got kidnapped that it was like second nature to know what it sounded like.

There was a hasty shuffle of the heeled feet, a clicking as someone beat a hasty and relieved retreat. With a loud squeal, the door was opened and Akari seemed to burrow further into the minimal protection of Kagome's bosom, too scared to even breathe.

"Ah, my sweet princess," the male voice breathed, a low baritone that was captivating just to hear. "My sweet, delectable princess; long have I awaited this moment. When I would see you again." The footsteps got closer and Kagome didn't even register that she was trying to move away from those footsteps, to protect Akari from the danger that Akari was so afraid of.

"Eah, don't touch me!" Akari cried out, but Kagome couldn't see what was happening. She was angry that she couldn't, even though it was happening right a few inches in front of her. "Leave me alone, I don't like you! You're a bad man! My daddy is going to come and hurt you!"

"Don't touch her!" Kagome echoed her daughter's cries. "Leave her alone! Take me instead, but whatever it is, leave her alone!" She couldn't see what was happening, but she still tried to shift so Akari was away from the form that breathed heavily just a few steps away.

"Take you?.." the man chuckled and that cold hand connected gently with her face, caressing it as a lover would. Kagome recoiled away from the touch, and the man laughed harder. "You still can't stand it when I touch you, can you, Princess?"

"Get away from my daughter!" Kagome demanded, disgusted by the sound of madness in the captivating voice. It was like the mad woman in her dream-why had she been dreaming anyway?-and she didn't like it. She couldn't stand to hear it, and she wished that reality would stop what it was doing to her and let her just get on with her life.

"Oh, what sweet meat you are, Kagome." He knew her name! How did he know her? She didn't recognize his voice, and something like that happening was rare!

"Don't touch me!" Akari screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing against the stone walls. "Don't touch me, don't touch me!" Akari's weight lifted off of Kagome's body.

Kagome struggled against the shackles that restrained her and agonized as her muscles protested the movement. "Stop it! Don't take her!" Kagome was panicking. What was going on? Where was he taking Akari? What was he going to do to her?

Hiei's words came to her painfully. _"You and her are targets for child molesters and rapists."_ Kagome would not let someone do that to her child! Not in this lifetime! Not in the next! She refused to even let the prospect of death stop her, because if she did die, she would still protect Akari, even if refusing Nirvana meant she would go to Hell! At least Akari would be safe.

"Let her go! Whatever it is, take me!" Kagome yelled over Akari's frightened shrieks. "Leave her alone!" There was a loud thud as a small body collided hard with the stone walls. "Akari!" Kagome called out, a vivid image of Akari bleeding to death forming in her mind's eye. "Don't hurt her!"

"Oh, too late for that warning, love." Said the man, and Kagome new why Akari called him a bad man. She felt the shackles being removed from her wrists and the instant they were she leapt blindly for the man, hoping to hurt him, feeling a burning sensation to do some real damage despite her protesting muscles-why was she hurting so anyway?

She never made it. Her captor had pinned her to the ground before she could get far at all. Oh how she wanted to hurt him! She had never before felt like this to her knowledge. She had never felt such a strong protective urge, a lust for blood, overwhelming her senses. He pressed her face against the floor and her chest felt extremely constricting and pained. The floor was very unforgiving.

She realized the blindfold had come loose as she continued to struggle, still completely overwhelmed by the urge for the blood of the one who dared to hurt her daughter. She could see dark gray stone and bars that led into a very familiar hall that she had walked many a time in her dreams. Was this the cell at the end of the hall?

The torture chamber was just at the end of that hall then, if it was, and the staircase that led down to where she had subconsciously rescued Hiei from was about halfway down. This place was real. She couldn't hope it was a bad dream, that when she woke, she would be at home in her bed, wondering if she would wake in the Feudal Era at any moment.

She bit back a cry of disbelief when the man tore the back of her dress. What was going to happen now? She couldn't let Akari know she was afraid--if Akari was even conscious at the moment. A snide voice in her head said, If she's even alive.

She didn't want to think about that prospect. Somehow the thought of life without her daughter was the unthinkable. It was something she didn't want to know. She couldn't even remember how she lived before Akari was born anymore.

This was a bad situation. It was a very bad situation and Kagome's mind had drawn up a blank. What was the use of mathematics for a priestess if she couldn't remember the formula and equations under normal circumstances to cast spells, much less recall them in a time of desperate need.

Just what good was she?

What good was a priestess who couldn't cast magic?

Why did anyone in the Feudal Era keep her around for so long? She only ever got in the way.

So Inuyasha was right after all. She really was worthless! She couldn't protect her daughter or herself! She was useless. Completely and utterly useless.

She struggled more, knowing it was a pathetic attempt, but still having to try. "The scars!" the man said with surprise. "It was here, I know it was!" Whatever he was looking for on her back, Kagome knew he wouldn't find it. She had no scars on her back. After the lip-face demon healed her and Ryuichi so long ago--it felt like that was ages past, though it was only a few years--all the scars she'd gotten from the demons in the Realm of Opposites had gone away.

Tears seeped from her eyes. This was it now. She would never see Akari safe again, would she? How could she protect Akari in the afterlife if she couldn't even do it while she was alive? She would be raped and then murdered. The fact that Akari was born to a virgin mother was about to be ended. No one would believe her if they took tests after this. And after that, the man would go and do whatever he wanted to Akari.

The man got up off her and left as suddenly as he came. The cell door clanged shut loudly in his wake. She tried to get a good look at him, but her eyes were partly blurry from tearing up. She got a vague description of dark hair and a tall body. His back was to her too, which didn't help much.

She scrambled around the dark cell for her daughter, able to see Akari in the dim light cast by the torch just outside the cell. She didn't care that the new sundress was falling off her form. She cared only for finding out if Akari was okay, and at the same time she dreaded the answer. What if she wasn't? Kagome was sure she had been thrown into a wall.

What had she told Hiei? _"Bandits and henchmen, robbers and murderers, child molesters and rapists; those type of people aren't going to exist in her life. Wars aren't going to come knocking on our doorstep."_ She was such a liar. She didn't know what she was talking about. No one was safe in this world, or any world for that matter.

Look what had happened to Kagome's father? He had been shot and killed in a bank robbery!

Kagome inspected her daughter with gentle hands. Other than a few minor bumps, Akari appeared to be okay, though not conscious. Kagome pulled her daughter close to her and felt like the biggest coward in the world as she slid into the darkest corner of the cell. What was going on? She could remember her argument with Hiei, but after that, nothing.

Why was she here?

Kagome didn't know how much time had passed before the first of many visits were paid to her cell by hooded men. She knew what their job was; she had seen it so many times in that continuing dream. They tossed Akari aside like a ragdoll and the blood lust grew in Kagome. She struggled, but they overpowered her and dragged her kicking and fighting to the torture chamber she had passed through so many times.

It was a very frightening experience to be in there and be the one captive of these silent, hooded men. They were barrel chested, blocky men, with hard muscles and scars everywhere on them, from war or torture, Kagome would never know.

The first thing they did was discard of her clothes, throwing them in a fire that burned brightly and reflected the slick sweat on the men's upper, unclothed torsos. She noticed one of the hooded man had a necklace that was made of rotting toes, some newer than others. Why now? she asked in her mind. Why me?

No answer was forthcoming, and they forcefully bent her over a bar in the middle of the room, shackling her hands to chains from the floor, and her ankles more than shoulder length apart, shackled to the vertical bars. She nearly bit her tongue off trying not to scream as they proceeded to unravel torture devices she never knew existed. All she knew was, I must not cry out. Akari must not hear me.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	175. Can't Not Go

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: There is a TMttF forum in my profile. Want to post?__**

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**_

Chapter 175: Can't Not Go

**-Feudal Era- **

How long had it been since this war started? A civil war in the Eastern Lands was the last thing he wanted for his people, and a five year long state of horror was certainly not at the top of his Wish list for his birthday. The ruler of the Eastern Lands was a fighter by force, by necessity.

And he was good at it. The young King felt bold enough that he could even take on Sesshoumaru, King of the Western Lands, at this point. Maybe not win, but he would present a challenge at least. He walked through the large palace with his personal guard following easily in his wake. His green eyes took in his surroundings with a sharp narrowed glance.

The servants were uneasy, but not because their lord and majesty walked through a servant's hall. They were uneasy because somehow word had gotten out that their King intended to go personally to the Western Lands, without permission from King Sesshoumaru. And not only that, but he had not yet in five years taken a bride for his Queen, so he had no heir.

Everyone knew that Shippou, their King, had his heart set on King Sesshoumaru's ward, Rin. They also knew that Shippou would allow them to freely state his or her opinion in front of him without fear of punishment, something that no King of the Eastern Lands had ever done. Only that freedom of speech existed in the Western Lands, and even that was only in certain locations.

But now if Shippou got himself killed by King Sesshoumaru, the civil war happening at that time would only get worse as everyone scrabbled for the crown. Shippou smiled grimly. He wasn't about to get himself killed by this act though. He honestly doubted anyone would notice he was even in the Western Lands. Sesshoumaru and everyone else were too busy with Naraku and the disappearances of half their original fighting team that no one paid any attention to much else.

Naraku...

He was acting up again. The past five years had been Hell for Sesshoumaru and the Western Lands, just as it had for Shippou and the Eastern Lands, though their problems weren't the same. With all available manpower in the Western Lands making patrols left and right and back and forth, trying to find Sango, Miroku, and Naraku, and locate Ryuichi as well since he disappeared at the same time Sango did, things were stretched rather thin.

"Youko, I think we'll depart now." Shippou told his personal guard, Youko Kurama. Youko would go with Shippou wherever he went, even if Shippou did appear to be going to his death. It was a devotion built not only on a master-servant relationship, but something far deeper.

Youko nodded his understanding and he vanished, like he had never been there to begin with. Shippou knew he was still nearby, but Youko would not show himself unless necessary in this journey. He turned left at the next corridor and left out of the building at the end of that hall. He took a deep breath and prepared himself.

He was ready.

He was ready to make the biggest commitment of his entire life.

How did he know? Somehow, he just knew he had to be in the Western Lands. There was something... there... There was something he had to do, something that could only be done there.

He fingered the small toy spin-top that Kagome had given to him. That had been so long ago, he could barely even remember her face. War had taken away the faces of almost all those who he had known before he was thrown into a world of the monarchy. He almost didn't know how to deal with it, except that being in the Western Lands, going to the old bone gobbling well, would help him.

Other than that, he couldn't explain why he felt he had to go. What would he find there? Rumor had it, Kagome was dead five years ago. She vanished as a purified demon would, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. He missed her a lot. She was like a sister.

A knot tied in his gut. Was. What a cruel word. But she was still alive, wasn't she?

He followed the pulling feeling that called him west. It was like a song that only he could hear, but at the same time, it wasn't. A calling of sorts. Something no ordinary mortal, human or demon, would ever be able to create. He found himself hoping it was Kagome, because she was no ordinary mortal. Anyone knew that. Kagome was from another world filled with ma-sheens and kahrs and mawls.

He traveled hastily across the land. He had always been speedy. It helped when one was never strong enough to battle, so had to always run away. Now that speed was used to his advantage in a battle, and the two swords he wore, one on either side of his waist, he could wield with a deadly accuracy in battle, at a speed fast enough to make even Kouga's fists be put to shame.

It was a journey that would take him several days, even at his speed, because he couldn't go the normal route. As King of the Eastern Lands, he couldn't go through the regular checkpoint at the border between the Eastern Lands and the Western Lands. He had to skirt around that, and around the regular patrols, and around the advance guard patrols of wolves and assorted demon variety that were on the lookout for mischievous demons like himself who would cause trouble.

Shippou wasn't looking to cause trouble, but they wouldn't know that. He just wanted to get to one place at a specific moment. If he didn't find what he was looking for, he would turn back and continue his futile attempt at piecing together his falling apart kingdom. His Uncle had left him a mess on his deathbed, and while Shippou knew it was important to fix that mess, this calling or whatever it was felt personal, and he just knew he couldn't _not_ go. He couldn't ignore this.

Somehow he felt if he did, it would affect everything. It was as if that song that didn't really exist was telling him that the _world_ revolved around this event. He hoped whatever it was proved fruitful, because if it didn't, he would torment himself and he knew it. He would feel like he deserted his kingdom. Sesshoumaru never did that.

Did he?

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	176. A Song That Calls

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: There is a TMttF forum in my profile. Want to post?__**

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**_

Chapter 176: A Song That Calls

**-Elsewhere- **

Kikyou placed one clay hand to her chest, above her heart, feeling the unordinary tug of the dead souls inside her as it felt like something was pulling her. From her relaxed seat on a large boulder, she glanced around her with narrowed brown eyes. Something nearby was affecting her like it really wasn't supposed to. The souls swirled inside her hollow clay body and she could feel them trying to go toward the source.

"Lady Kikyou?" the young Kohaku inquired softly, glancing up at her with a questioning glance. Even the dead had feelings, and the boy was worried. Kikyou wanted to sigh, but restrained herself. She was dead and had no use for such things as emotions. Still, she knew she had them whether or not she liked that fact. "Is something the matter?"

When Kohaku had first come with Kikyou, he had understood the pain he would inevitably bring to his only living relative, Sango. Still, to defeat their most feared arch nemesis, a little pain at the loss of her brother would be nothing compared to the feel of satisfaction that Kohaku was no longer under the control of the one who brought him back to life temporarily.

The boy was dead, without a doubt. His body was a preserved shell, the magic of the Jewel shard in his back kept it that way. His soul was held captive in the body because of the Jewel shard. Without it, he would just die. Kikyou had been brought back to life a different way, but she too was considerably dead, a mere ghost of the priestess she had once been.

A witch named Urasue had created a porcelain image of her, and summoned her soul from Kagome's body into the clay shell. In that manner, Urasue was Kikyou's mother, though Kikyou had destroyed Urasue for bringing her back. She hadn't wanted to be alive, and after finding out that Inuyasha was still alive, she wanted to live even less.

She had died for a Jewel once already, and finding out that Kagome brought the Jewel back into this world had created a great surge of resentment inside Kikyou's small bit of remaining soul for the other woman. Kikyou didn't hate Kagome because of Inuyasha; she was above such idiocy as boy jealousies. No, Kikyou hated Kagome for another reason entirely. Kagome had brought herself from another world, and with her came the Jewel of Four Souls, a mere marble certainly, but not quite.

The Jewel of Four Souls was a disaster just waiting to happen. It was easily tainted and no wish made on it would ever be pure. It was a marble coveted by everyone who heard of its magnificence. And, disgustingly evil though it was, it was a most beautiful item. It was, perhaps, the most beautiful item anyone would ever encounter. But very cold too.

Just the thought of the Jewel sucked all the happiness from Kikyou's clay shell and made her stolen souls cry in pain, while they still tried to follow the pull that told her if she didn't move soon, they would break out of her. Kagome should never have come to this world. But since Kikyou couldn't entrust Kagome to give her life for the Jewel, Kikyou had to remain alive and collect the shards by any means, and once again sentence herself to a life in hell, to keep the Jewel from this world.

As the pull on her souls strengthened, she slid from the rock. It was likely a trap, she knew, and she strung her bow. Kohaku grabbed his weapons and followed Kikyou. Kikyou was right. Kagome had good intentions, and she was not at all a bad person, but Kagome had everything to lose, and only someone who has already lost everything could possibly give up her life for the Jewel. Kikyou had to make that decision.

Kohaku would be right there to help protect Kikyou until the time came. That was why he was with Kikyou. He had to think of the future that was best for everyone, and Sango was _alive_, unlike him. She could live long and healthy and have little demon exterminators to rebuild their clan. He couldn't. So to protect the best interests for Sango, he had given up his life.

And this time? Naraku couldn't control him like he had done in the past. Naraku was strong, but whatever wish Naraku wanted to make on the Jewel wouldn't be enough to save him. He had too many enemies for that. Kouga and the wolf tribes, Sesshoumaru and the Western Lands, Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, Seirra the Phantom Demon, Kohaku, and Kikyou--there was no way Naraku could win anymore.

Kagome, though? She couldn't even be counted. She had a big heart, indeed, but she lacked both the skill and the strength in body and mind to be an adversary. The only skill she had was the power of the Rosary Beads of Subjugation, and what was she going to do with that? 'Sit' him to death?

Unlikely. "Where are we going, Lady Kikyou?" Kohaku asked.

"I, I am uncertain. Something is calling me." Kikyou was silent for a moment before she added, "I can't explain it; I've never felt anything like it...but it feels like... a song." Kohaku's eyebrows knit together. Was it a trap? Was Naraku behind it? Kohaku was there too, so why wasn't he being called? Or was it a dead thing? But he was dead too, so that wouldn't explain it either.

One thing was certain to him: he didn't like this one bit.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	177. The Interrogation

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: The fifty review rule will go back in effect starting January 1st, 2006. Whatever chapter is the lastest one posted on January 1st must have 50 reviews before I update.Merry Christmas!__**

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Chapter 177: The Interrogation

**-Demon Realm- **

Inuyasha had just barely settled down on the other side of the table from Haruo the blacksmith when one of his soldiers came in and saluted to him clumsily, looking panicked and trying not to. Before he could announce his business, or Inuyasha could ask what business he had, the Guardian of the Barrier entered the tent, his hair, skin, and clothes matted with recent dried blood.

Inuyasha stood and bowed deeply to Miroku, making the monk sigh in frustration. This was the problem. He absolutely hated to visit the people who had been his friends before the worlds were split, because they didn't even know him. Sesshoumaru only knew because Miroku had beaten the crap out of the guy until he remembered, shortly after the splitting of the worlds.

"Your Eminence," Inuyasha demurred, and Miroku longed for a less formal greeting. Maybe a slap upside the head and a jeer, 'Why don't you try being less perverted, you dumb fuck,' or something along those lines might have been better. But Inuyasha had no idea that he had even met Miroku before the worlds were split, and Miroku could think of nothing non-violent that would draw out those memories, and no Secret-Keeper would draw that out either.

The Secret-Keeper claimed it was cruel to force someone to remember memories that were suppressed. But wasn't it even worse still to leave the Guardian of the Barrier miserable when he could destroy everyone in the three worlds instantly with just a single snap of his fingers if he wanted to? Instead of snapping at Inuyasha for still not recognizing him after five hundred years as someone he could push around--funny, Miroku _wanted_ to be pushed around--he said, "What has happened here?"

In truth, Inuyasha was surprised that the Guardian had not come sooner. He was usually sorting out events like this before Inuyasha could get to the place with the military. Inuyasha waved to Haruo the blacksmith, who also had risen to his feet to bow awkwardly. "I was just about to find out, Your Eminence. This is Haruo the blacksmith. He was in the village when the bandits attacked."

"Yer Generalship, sir," Haruo started with a nervous glance at Miroku. Haruo wondered if Miroku would remember him, and a small nod was his answer to that question, a nod that Inuyasha couldn't see out of his partially blind eye. Miroku's fingers itched to heal that eye, but he knew Inuyasha would never forgive him for it if he did.

Yes, Miroku remembered Haruo. Haruo had once been a bandit, but now he made weapons that soldiers passing through could buy, and armor too. Miroku had asked Haruo to make a staff for him quite a few years ago, and the man had done a great job. Miroku had paid Haruo by giving the demon a green card to the Human World that he could use whenever he wanted.

The problem was that Miroku had no money, despite he had nearly an overload of power. He refused money from anyone. He couldn't die, he was overwhelmed with power sometimes, and he controlled the flow of people between the three worlds for the most part. He didn't need to try to manage finances as well; not when he could pick someone's pocket as easily as he could pick his nose.

Sometimes Sesshoumaru forced money on him, or left it lying around Miroku's house within the barrier, or had Rainie give it to him, but for the most part, Miroku had no money.

Rainie was Miroku's only happiness these days. She was a very special creature that Miroku had raised from the shell, a griffon. Miroku loved to fly with Rainie, bareback in the sky. It was more exhilarating than riding Kirara had ever been.

"Your Eminence, please join us," Inuyasha said without feeling. Miroku could tell the General did not want him there, but too bad, he already was. Miroku knew who lived here. His Kagome. Yes, _his_ Kagome. Rainie had been keeping an eye out for Kagome, and the griffon had told Miroku that Kagome remembered him.

Of course Inuyasha wouldn't want Miroku there. It was often much harder to complete an interrogation with the Guardian there. Inuyasha felt like Miroku was staring at him the whole time, angry at him for something he wasn't sure he even did.

Miroku wondered what Inuyasha would do when Sesshoumaru showed up. It was obvious that Sesshoumaru would sooner or later. It was Akari Dekage's birthday after all. Miroku had come when he felt an abrupt rise in power in this vicinity, a blast. Like an explosion. When he arrived at the location, and when he saw the mansion that _his_ Kagome lived in was reduced to rubble, a ruin of its previous majesty, he just wasn't sure how to feel.

He didn't know the timeline that Sesshoumaru kept. He didn't know where Kagome was in time. He didn't know if she had this kind of power yet to do this or if she had not reached that stage in her life. Sesshoumaru knew all that, so Miroku didn't have to. Miroku had known he would never be able to bear seeing Kagome as a young child and watch her grow, already knowing what she would be like when she grew up.

Why?

Because he would have wanted to change her, or try to. He wouldn't have been able to stand back for the most part and watch her grow in the way that she needed to. He would have changed her somehow; he would have been her undoing, without even wanting to be. So until he saw her that day in the hospital five years ago, he hadn't even known he had reached Kagome's time.

And even now, it was difficult for him to stop himself from trying something that would change Kagome. "Please, continue as though I were not here." Miroku whispered softly, though he knew both men grasped at his words like a lifeline. Well, it very well could be a lifeline, Miroku supposed, because with just a simple twitch of his lip, or a whisper of words, Miroku could completely destroy these two men.

They were fearful of the Guardian.

Such a burden...

But Miroku knew it was no one's fault but his own that he was this way. He could pass the burden to anyone in the world that he wanted, give it to someone who might do just as well, or worse, or better than he. But while at one point in his life he might have done so for a better life, perhaps he could find his children and reintroduce himself to them, except now, though he felt lonely... he couldn't give up the barrier...

Not now...

Not yet...

Not here...

Just give him a break... give him a friend who _knew_ him... Someone other than Sesshoumaru...

The world gave him Kagome, didn't it? He chose to stay away. But what if he wasn't supposed to talk to Kagome? What if he screwed up the timeline? Where was Kagome in this mess of destruction? Was she somewhere under all that rubble? What about that silent angel she had for a daughter? Where were they?

They were talking... Miroku blinked and shook his head slightly to clear it of his thoughts. Why wasn't he listening? Maybe he might learn where his Kagome was.

"I was jus' talkin' to my friend, Codpike--that'd be Goldie the Jeweler's boy--when thing's errupted aroun' us. Mayhap I shouldn't say, but used t' be a bandit myself. Ain't got no problem fightin', yeh know? Plus, th' lady's just so honorable, yeh cannae help but wanna fight fer her." Haruo the blacksmith was saying, chuckling very bitterly.

Inuyasha tapped one clawed finger on the table with impatience. Miroku took that to say that the General knew Sesshoumaru might be on his way at that very moment. Or else, Miroku thought wryly, it could prove Inuyasha really didn't want him around. Miroku doubted Inuyasha would ever regain his knowledge of what went on and how the worlds were split. He would remember that once-upon-a-time the worlds were all one, but also he would know that the worlds had split and Miroku came into the picture.

"And?" Inuyasha questioned, his tone calm despite his impatient finger. He had settled quite a bit since the last time Miroku had seen him fifty years ago. Miroku didn't make a habit of visiting people who were nervous around him. He couldn't stand it. He hated it.

Haruo looked nervous, certainly, but more he was nervous by the General than Miroku, which pleased the Guardian more than a little. True, he did look over at Miroku as though for reassurance often, which was getting annoying, but Miroku could deal with it. After all, he did it every day.

"Well, some official lookin', but kinda grubby guys come in the village demandin' a live sacrifice t' honor th' comin' of age o' Prince Koenma, see?" Haruo continued.

Inuyasha held up his finger, a symbol to halt what he was saying for a moment. Haruo definitely stopped, like a car in the Human World coming to a screeching halt. "Hold," Inuyasha said, and continued tapping. He was silent for a moment; thinking. "His Highness came of age nearly six years ago; why now?" He voiced his thoughts.

"Ain't the slightest. See, Headman refused. Our village don't partake in those rituals. But these guys don't take 'no' fer an answer. Codpike an' me, we saw them run Headman right through. Next thing yeh know, Zenzen, that'd be Headman's kid, she's got a weapon an' she's fightin' beautifully, an' all. She always was fond of using two swords at once. Taught 'er t' fight, I did, 'cause ain't nothin' wrong with learnin' is there?"

Miroku got annoyed with Inuyasha's tense pose and let his energy fill every pore on his body, blending it to everything around him. His body blended in with his surroundings better than a chameleon could do. He had nothing to worry about to hide his magic, considering every molecule and atom that created the Demon Realm and Spirit World was all him and the barrier that sustained him. Neither demon would ever sense him; at least, not when he wanted to be invisible.

Perhaps that was one of his problems? Kagome probably would say it was.

The real trick was blending his clothes, but it didn't take more than a blink. One minute he was there, the next he was gone, like vapor in the wind. When the two demons realized he had disappeared, they both relaxed, Inuyasha more than Haruo. Haruo was, after all, still being interrogated.

"Continue." Inuyasha urged, sounding less impatient than before.

Haruo nodded, and Miroku watched and listened. He had to know what happened to Kagome, and he had to know what happened here that an entire mansion made of stone nearly a foot thick was leveled. "Well, Codpike an' me, we got some weapons from my forge. Most o' the time all th' good 'uns are bought up by soldiers who pass through, an' yer patrols come through often enough, but had some set aside fer such an occasion. Can't help but be a li'l paranoid when yer a ex-bandit, yeh know."

"So, I take it Codpike was a bandit as well?" Inuyasha questioned. Haruo shrugged; he wouldn't answer and sell out his friend, though yes, Codpike had been a bandit too. There were five ex-bandit members in their village: Codpike, Baker, Taboo, Abex, and Haruo. Well, actually, after this, there were only three. Taboo was killed in the fray, and Abex wasn't fairing too well, even with the medic's help. Haruo didn't like it, but Abex was probably as good as dead.

Haruo continued without really answering Inuyasha. "When Codpike 'n' me come outta th' forge, we saw Her Ladyship standin' back t' back with Zenzen. We though' she was bein' protected by Zenzen, 'cept there was those grubby attackers surroundin' them on all sides. When we got closer, we saw Her Ladyship had one of the swords Zenzen had, an' if I di'n't know better, I'd swear Her Ladyship was born with a sword in her hand."

"That good, is she?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. But that didn't fit. When Inuyasha asked Sesshoumaru, his older brother had said Kagome was appalling with a weapon in her hand and could probably dig graves better than she could use one to protect herself. That was why Sesshoumaru had not persisted on training Kagome in swordsmanship like he did to everyone who happened to gain his favor, like Kazuma, and instead focused only on Kagome learning to use her inherent witch-born magic.

"Th' look on her face..." Haruo's voice was filled with, was it admiration? Envy? Awe? Amazement? Perhaps a combination of all of it? Miroku felt a smile bloom at his memories of Kagome. Yes, she was amazing... When someone close to her was threatened, she did things no human should ever be able to do. It used to make Miroku wonder about her. She was so strange, this girl from another world.

"Let us forego the moment of reverance. I don't have time for it." Inuyasha said in a clipped tone.

Haruo shook his head slightly, "Beggin' yer pardons, Generalship, sir, bu' this was no bandit attack. Bein' a bandit once myself, yeh know how they think, an' how they look, an' talk, an' act. These guys were professional assassins. I'm sure they was."

"Leave that to me to determine. Just tell me what happened." Inuyasha tapped his finger on the table again, his claw had begun to put a little indent in the surface, but he had not noticed. Miroku thought Inuyasha was likely getting more frustrated by the second because Sesshoumaru was on his way. Bad day for a birthday, Miroku thought to the silent little child.

Haruo sighed and told his story as he had seen it happen.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	178. Assassins Attacking

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: The fifty review rule will go back in effect starting January 1st, 2006. Whatever chapter is the lastest one posted on January 1st must have 50 reviews before I update.Merry Christmas!__**

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**_

Chapter 178: Assassins Attacking

_**-Flashback- **_

_"Denise is okay fer a chick, bu' Her Ladyship, now there's a woman!" Codpike was saying. "Bet'cha I could get 'er in th' sack in three days tops." He and Haruo lounged up against the Jeweler's shop porch. Haruo was soot-streaked from hard work in the forge, but he had decided a five minute break was at hand and came to visit his old buddy. _

_"Yeh righ'. Doubt yeh'd get very far wit' her. The Little Lady says that apparition is her pa, so yeh really think th' rumors are true tha' Her Ladyship ain't married? I doubt it. No way in Hell!" Haruo objected, to which Codpike chuckled. _

_"Yeh're jus' worried I could do it, ain't'cha?" Codpike smirked. "So's yeh won't take th' wager." _

_Haruo shook his head. "Yeh're such a weasel." Haruo told him. "Tha' thief never leaves, does he?" _

_Codpike still smirked, but he shrugged now too. "Nimble hands." He reasoned, waggling Haruo's belt pouch in his fingers. "Guess yeh ain't got much, do yeh? Sucks to be Haruo." _

_Haruo snatched back his wallet from the little worm--well, actually Codpike was an Eagle demon, but that was beside the point--and tucked it back in his pocket. "Quit doin' tha' or I'm gonna knock yeh toothless." _

_"Only 'cause I'm too smart to be knocked completely senseless, yeh see?" Codpike bragged. He listened for a moment and stood. "Headman's yellin'." _

_Haruo stood too from their perch on the rail and followed his buddy toward the shouting that now he could hear. "I hope it ain't Her Ladyship whose gettin' th' beat again." Haruo said. _

_Codpike glanced sidelong at Haruo, "I hope she is. It's hot watchin' her bristle like an angry dog." _

_Haruo rolled his eyes. "Yeh're such a pervert, it's a wonder how yeh even have braincells left after all the slaps yeh endure." _

_The village square came into sight. That was Baker's shop across the way, and the angel fountain in the very center. The children had abandoned their bikes and trikes to hide behind their mothers or seek comfort in their mother's arms. "Lord Koenma can go without a blood sacrifice from this village!" Headman was saying. "We don't partake in that! This village is King Enma's property, and that of Lady Higurashi!" _

_"By order of the Officius Reprimicion, this village was reposessed from King Enma and his whore Lady Higurashi, as is the right of His Highness, Lord Koenma, if he sees a reasonable demand to do so. By King Enma's dishonor, this land has come under the control of our Lord and Prince, His Highness, Koenma, the decree witnessed by Her Majesty, Lady Chieko." The front man said. _

_"I'll tell you what that is!" Headman said loudly and spat on the ground his dislike. "That's what that is! Until I hear from King Enma himself of the change, you'll get no sacrifice!" Headman steamed. The thing about sacrifices was that it meant giving up a child from every household in a village, sometimes even more than one. These children were taken by the military to the Spirit World and never seen or heard from again. No one knew what exactly happened to them, except the higher ups of course, and it was a mother's worst fear to hear the words 'blood' and 'sacrifice' together in the same sentence. _

_"Mommy, I'm afraid!" cried a little girl near where Haruo and Codpike were standing among the crowd. She clung to her mother's leg with one arm and the other was wrapped around a doll tightly. She had tears in her eyes and her knees were quivering slightly. She knew what Headman and the grubby leader of these pack of dogs were talking about. She didn't need any explanation. _

_Smart kid, Haruo thought with a grim smile though he wasn't humored in the slightest. Being afraid of these type of people is necessary. _

_"It's okay, baby," the little girl's mother said in a quivering voice, "They'll have to listen to Headman." _

_The front man didn't like Headman's answer. The scowl on his face said as much. "And who are you to disobey His Highness' commands?" he asked coldly, his pink lips pursed angrily. His hand seemed to go instinctively to his weapon at his waist at the very thought of refusal of authority. _

_"I am Headman, son of Lord Shippou! That's--" His words were cut off abruptly when suddenly the front man had unsheathed his sword faster than the eye could see, and had slid it through Headman's gut, twisting and wrenching it inside him to incur the most possible agony. Headman looked appalled for a moment and it was as if his voice didn't exist. _

_He was screaming silently, and all the villagers who were gathered in the square had seen it. And they were horrified by it. "Father!" Zenzen shouted and threw herself forward out of the crowd. The front man kicked Headman off his blade, grinning sinisterly and causing chills to go up everyone's spine. That couldn't mean anything good. _

_"Take all women and children!" he shouted to his armed men. "And kill the men!" As his men charged forward, he added, "We don't need anyone looking for revenge!" _

_After that, everything was a mad scramble. It was frightening how more men were running away than women, and the women were fighting to protect their younglings. Haruo and Codpike raced to the forge on a silent agreement and both took down weapons from the displays. It was better to go to jail for fighting back than to die for not. _

_They were attacked the instant they got out of the forge and they saw how different their own fighting style was to these men. The enemy had been trained. Haruo and Codpike were outnumbered three to two, but none of these men had the strength of a blacksmith etched into their arms like Haruo, and none of them were as speedy as Codpike, so their advantages made up the difference to their disadvantages. _

_Sure these men were strong, Haruo realized, but they preyed mostly on the weak, who had no chance to defend themselves. Haruo managed to cripple one man's leg with a blow that he hadn't blocked on time and Codpike brought his long handled hammer down on another man's head, causing bones to crunch and blood to spurt out at the seams. The man was instantly dead. _

_Haruo attacked the third man and Codpike brought the butt of his staff-hammer crashing against the man with the wounded leg's throat. The last remaining man was fighting well enough, blocking each of Haruo's blows, but he couldn't block Codpike and Haruo at the same time and Haruo smashed the head of his hammer against his spine, paralyzing him. _

_As the man fell, Haruo and Codpike headed for the town square where there was screams and bloodshed and fighting. On the way they were headed off by two more of the enemy who had jumped off the roofs on either side of the street to block their path. "Stupid ass military don't know when t' take no fer an answer, does they?" Codpike growled, the feathers on his arm bristling as though any second they would snap in place like an Eagle's wings and he would take flight. _

_"Guess not," Haruo said in reply as he quickly stretched his arms for the fight. One man took a shurikan from his waist and flung it at Haruo, but Codpike jumped in the way, spinning his staff-hammer so fast that it looked like a full piece of metal had appeared in the air in front of him and the shurikan pinged off the staff and landed in the dirt off to the side. _

_Haruo waited as Codpike kept spinning the metal and then the spinning slowed so it was a mere blur and they could still see what was happening outside. The enemy had disappeared. They didn't wait for the attack to come. Instead, they took their bloody weapons and raced as fast as they could toward the town square. As they neared, they saw the carnage. _

_A glance toward the bakery showed Haruo a heartbreaking picture. Welena, Baker's wife, was lying dead on the ground with an arrow in her right eye, a rusty old dagger clutched in her hands. Elsewhere the dead lay on the ground in a river of blood. There was a foot sticking out of the fountain base and the water that circulated through the fountain had turned red. _

_Codpike had already joined the fray. They fought endlessly. The enemy seemed to be appearing right out of the stones of the ground, growing like weeds, with roots that couldn't be killed. Codpike and Haruo fought their way toward the center of the fighting where they heard Zenzen's battlecry. With Headman dead, Zenzen--his eldest child--would take charge. It was how Headman had said he wanted it years ago. _

_Codpike was able to do more damage and create more room for them to walk with his staff-hammer than Haruo could. Haruo just made sure no one could hit Codpike from behind. Zenzen was fighting four men on her own at the center of the fighting, a sword of the enemy's in her hands. She used it as easily as if it were her own sword, a barrage of fury. _

_At Zenzen's back was Lady Higurashi, her eyes so red that one might actually call her Hell on Earth. She was furious. Of course, everyone always knew that Lady Higurashi was strange. Her eyes constantly shifted from one color to another like a spectrum. _

_But somehow... she was not human anymore like she had always been before. She would growl, her lips curling, and white pearly fangs showed. Her black hair had blond streaks in it that continued to grow, and her grip on an enemy sword was so tight her knuckles had turned completely white. _

_Codpike and Haruo placed themselves in the fight. Haruo had to pay attention to his own fights. The enemy wanted to kill him, and take Zenzen and Lady Higurashi away. He slashed and he cut at anyone who was close enough, and he blocked blows left and right. But this was a losing battle, he could see that already. _

_Just when he thought he was dead, an enemy's weapon zoomed in on him, Lady Higurashi herself placed herself in danger and she plucked that weapon right out of the enemy hands and turned it around in her grip, whipping the axe back at the enemy. The weapon spun so fast that it beheaded that man, and the one behind that before losing momentum. _

_Haruo watched in amazement as Lady Higurashi began to chant something under her breath that the shouts and screams wouldn't allow to be heard. This big man, this blacksmith, was rooted in place, just watching her as she gracefully swung the sword, chopping only air. A sweeping blue light followed her sword, and one man tried to kill her as she cast her spell, but the enemy froze in place, and when he fell, Haruo saw why. _

_The Little Lady was glowing with an inner white flame and her eyes were frighteningly determined and intelligent. Dancing around on the man's back was the beautiful porcelain doll that one of the villagers had given her. The doll hopped off the man's back and ran back to stand by the Little Lady. _

_"Don't you touch my mommy!" The Little Lady screamed, that white flame bursting around her to even larger proportions. Even Haruo felt the heat of it, he could only imagine how the enemy around her felt. None of them could get close enough to touch her without being burned. They tried, but their weapons either bursted into flames or melted, and one man tried to reach with his hands and was instantly incinerated. _

_The doll was unaffected by this flame though. Haruo stood back up, though he wasn't sure when he fell down in the first place and he turned back to the fight at hand. He had to stop gawking. Despite that this was a losing battle, they had to keep trying. He would die fighting. _

_As the Little Lady stood steady in the middle of all the fighting, her porcelain doll that was half the size she was went out into the fray and, Haruo wasn't sure how it would do it, but it would knock over one enemy after another and dance on their back and they wouldn't get up after that, like they were dead. And still more were stupid enough to try getting close to the Little Lady, and they would get incinerated by the immense power flare around her. _

_As Haruo was about to run an enemy through, there was an explosion beside him. He looked to see what had happened--a mistake to do in the midst of battle--and the enemy he was fighting stabbed him with a sword. Now he could look all he wanted, he supposed, as he fell to the ground. He wondered if he would die now, or suffer and then die. _

_He saw Lady Higurashi's blue, curved line of magic explode out toward the enemy, clearing a path by slicing all the enemy in half. The Little Lady was so little that it went right over her and her doll's heads. "Everyone get to the mansion!" Lady Higurashi screamed. Hands snaked around Haruo's shoulders and helped him to stand. It was Zenzen and Codpike. No man left behind. _

_That blue line came back like an obedient puppy and formed a swirling circle around all of them that pulsed little waves. Lady Higurashi grabbed her daughter's hand and Zenzen and Codpike helped Haruo after them. Villagers were running like mad up to the mansion. The Little Lady's flaming protection had lessoned, but everytime an arrow came close to their fleeing party, it burst out toward the weapon and the arrow would burst into flames, the metal tip melting like chocolate in a fondue pot. _

_The enemy followed them up, and Lady Higurashi refused to close the gates of the mansion until all the villagers were safe. She continued fighting to keep the villagers who had made it in safe. But the man who had demanded the blood sacrifice threw something that exploded on Lady Higurashi and emitted a powdery substance. _

_**-End Flashback- **_

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	179. Illegal Actions

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: The fact that there is less than 50 reviews is just a figment of your wildly delusional and vivid imagination... __**

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Chapter 179: Illegal Actions

"So you're saying you didn't actually see this woman, this Lady Higurashi, fight?" Inuyasha asked. He tapped the tip of his nail on the desk a few times before scratching one puppy-like ear. "You just assume she fought well?"

Haruo scowled at Inuyasha, looking like he had just eaten something rather bitter. His eyes flashed slightly toward where Miroku had been before he cast his invisibility. "O' course I did! An' if I know anythin' abou' anythin', I know fightin'. She was amazin', she was!"

"Well, finish then. What happened next?"

Haruo shrugged. "Ain't much else t' tell on it. Whatever tha' powder was, it made Ladyship konk out like nothin'. They took th' pretty women an' a couple a children, Her Ladyship an' th' Little Lady too, an' fer th' rest o' us, put us in th' mansion an' blew it up with bombs."

Inuyasha frowned at this. Bombs. Human weaponry, in other words. They were very illegal in the Demon Realm. Having them was punishable by death. An entire village could be killed for having human weaponry, that was the seriousness of having it. Sesshoumaru didn't like to allow guns and bombs to exist in the Demon Realm, considering demons already had enough to work with using their own inherent abilities.

He stood, puzzled. Then he had a thought. "What about the doll?" he asked Haruo. It would have the little girl's scent on it, certainly. They could use it to track and follow the perpetrators and, if Inuyasha was very lucky, find and return the Higurashi woman before Sesshoumaru found out what happened.

Boy, did he not want to let Sesshoumaru know what happened here without having the girl and her daughter back. Sesshoumaru was going to be furious. "Well, last I think I saw it was in th' village square. I don' think it came back with us."

"And which direction did they go after they blew up the mansion?" Inuyasha asked. "You weren't inside when it blew."

"No, Zenzen 'n' Codpike stuffed me under th' willow. Couldn't move till a medic found me an' healed me; thank th' Guardian fer Lip-Face Demons. Th' branches hang so low, yeh can't see nothin', an' they're thick too..."

Inuyasha sighed, for the millionth time. If this were a less serious matter... But it wasn't, was it?

**-Human World- **

Sango was on the verge of pulling out her hair, she was so stressed. Ryuichi was starting to get to her with his behavior. He burst into bouts of jealousy every now and then, and it was so random that she couldn't even prepare herself for it. She couldn't talk to anyone in this strange world, and he refused to go back until he found Kagome, which she thought was impossible.

He had underestimated this strange world with its strange contraptions. Even if he knew what time she was in, he couldn't have any way of knowing where she was. He searched endlessly for her, but he couldn't find her. The only other person Sango could talk to was Shuichi Minamino's mother, and Sango couldn't stand the woman.

Really, Sango thought, Five years is too long to be away. For all we know, Naraku could very well have taken over our world by now and we wouldn't even know it. But then again, Sango didn't factor in that this strange new world was her world's future, or one third of it anyway.

Sango slept in the room Shuichi and his mother had given her and Ryuichi to use. Due to the lack of space in the apartment, his mother really had no choice but to allow Ryuichi and Sango to share a room, and after Ryuichi told her that he and Sango were married, she had dropped the argument that men and women shouldn't share a room.

In keeping with the times, Shuichi had provided rings for Sango and Ryuichi to wear, explaining that it symbolized marriage in their world. Sango would have preferred the ability of freedom a bit more. She didn't want to be tied to Ryuichi, a ghastly temperamental demon, even if he was one of the best men she had ever had in bed, wild and at the same time very gentle.

By now, she could see that he had mated her to him so that she would remain alive and he could complete his spell. The first day he had said he loved her, but since then he hadn't even hinted he cared a wit about her except that she better not attempt to tie herself to this world since she wouldn't be here forever.

Of course, Ryuichi and Sango couldn't really explain anything to anyone about where they came from. They had to make like they knew the who-how-why of this world, which they really didn't. That's where Shuichi had been a big help. He had rambled a load of mumble-jumble about something or other that neither demon nor human cared about, and then he had mentioned Kagome.

But, of course, neither demon nor human had gotten him to be any more help than that. Still, they stuck close to him just in case.

But sticking close to Shuichi Minamino didn't seem to be the best idea, since the guy didn't really go anywhere. He left home to go to a thing he called a 'Unavirsatee' and after that, he went to what he called his 'djaab' and then he went home again. That was it. He didn't really do anything else. He never showed any inkling of being interesting.

He was completely and utterly a very boring person, even if he had the soul of a fox demon inside of him. It was like he didn't even register that either, except when they first met and fought. Since then there had been nothing.

Sango sighed and looked at Ryuichi who was curled up on the floor. It was the place he had slept for the past five years, since Mrs. Minamino wouldn't let them share a bed. She hadn't really had much contact with him since leaving their time either. Was he mad at her? She had to spend the rest of his life with him, he could at least talk to her!

Yes, that's right! His life! _His life!_ She couldn't even grow old and die on him as a way out. No, he now would say when she died. Oh, the nerve of that guy, just binding her life to his for the sake of a spell.

Ryuichi looked to be in a deep sleep at the moment, like nothing would wake him. Shuichi was at his djaab right now, and Mrs. Minamino was at the 'haspitol' because she was a 'nerce'. It was just the two of them alone in the 'uhpartmant'. Dang, this world was filled with odd words.

Sango wanted to go home, and all Ryuichi had done for a week was sleep! She hadn't heard a word out of him even!

She couldn't believe she was starting to miss his talking in his sleep. At least when he did that, she knew he was still thinking about her part of the time. But what did she care if he thought about her? Well, any life she might have had with Miroku was effectively ruined because of that damn Evil Eye Demon who lay only feet away.

Her eyes narrowed angrily as her temper spiked. She would be back at home in her own world among friends if it weren't for Ryuichi. Why had he chosen her anyway? There were hundreds of people who could have survived the spell, and did it really have to be a woman who did it?

She stood quietly, tiptoeing across the room. What was she doing? What the hell was she doing? She couldn't do this! He was her ticket back home!

She carefully grasped the strap to her Hiraikotsu and hefted it on her shoulder, ready to tie it around her back. "And…" she heard the whisper and froze. That voice… oh dear, she didn't like that tone of voice. "Just where… do you think… you're going?"

She gulped and decided… maybe it was better she just said it? Maybe he would let her go? After all, he didn't need her to go back. If he found Kagome, his return spell would only work for two people and he had to take her back after all, didn't he?

Holding her chin up with pride, she turned to face him. He was still laying on the bed on the floor, but one pink eye was open, and it was peering up at her. "I…"

"How amusing…" he chuckled darkly and in less than a blink of her eyes, he was in front of her. His speed… his advantage… "You… really think you can leave me?" He laughed but at the same time she realized he was pressing her up against the wood wall, his long fingers around her throat, squeezing just tight enough to make her wheeze.

She didn't like being manhandled like this, but really, she had to face the truth at some point in her life. He was a three-thousand and five year old demon; a common difference between the two of them was that he would always be older, smarter, and stronger than her physically and magically. She was not comforted by the fact that they shared a bed at one point; if anything that made her more uncomfortable.

"What do you care anyway?" she gasped out, only to have his grip increase. "You've hardly talked to me since the first day we came into this world. You won't let me leave this damn place to see the outside either! You destroyed any chance at a real life I might have made when you brought me back to life, and what makes you think I even wanted to live after the centipede?"

She could barely speak by the time she finished, and her words were filled with pauses and breaks where she had to gasp in another ragged breath. His bubblegum pink eyes were blazing furiously at her offending words, but frankly, she couldn't give less of a damn. "And this coming from a _human_." He sneered. He was choking her now, and she couldn't help but cough and scramble for purchase at his wrist, trying to loosen his grip.

She couldn't speak at all. "I thought you were a demon slayer, but I must have been wrong. You were nothing but a whore from the start." She wouldn't admit it, but she was cowering inside from the look inside his eyes. "You want death, woman? I'll give it to you." He shoved her to the floor and she found her forehead connecting a bit painfully with the Hiraikotsu, which she hadn't realized she dropped until just now.

She coughed, trying to breathe normally. He'd hit the button with the 'whore' comment, hadn't he? She'd been thinking of herself as one since the very first time she had slept with him. Somewhere in the back of her mind that comment had lingered dangerously, ready to tip her sanity. For the love of the heavens, why had he said that?

She refused to cry as she wanted to. She glared up at him, her eyes shining with the glitter of the years she spent with him. None of this would have ever happened if it weren't for him! He shouldn't have taken her! He kidnapped her from her friends and a war she needed to fight in. "The minute you exit this building will be the moment you die."

She watched him walk away from her and actually felt her arm reaching out toward his back, wanting him to come back and just talk to her. What had she done? Was it her fault? What did she care? At least she wasn't doomed for the rest of her life now, right?

"Are you going to take that from him?" she heard a voice behind her saying. She looked and saw Shuichi standing in the doorway, looking at her with a devilish glint in his eyes, the look that Miroku always got just before he was about to steal something. He was leaning against the doorway casually with his arms crossed over his chest and his ankles crossed.

Sango eyed him warily. When had he gotten there? She couldn't remember. He answered her unasked question with a wry grin and a quick, "Amusing how neither of you noticed a third party in the room all this time."

"You were here all along?" she asked, blinking.

He nodded mockingly, his green eyes glinting gold. "I've found Kagome. I know where she is… want to go with me to get her? I could use your help, and I can get you out without Ryuichi even realizing you left the building."

Such a devil this boy was…

She blinked slowly. Ryuichi, the bastard, wouldn't let her go? Well, oh ho ho, now she was gone! She nodded and stood. Shuichi pointed to her Hiraikotsu. "You'll need that, and this." He tossed her a thin katana, so much like her old one she had to look twice at it.

She took back what she had said about him. Shuichi wasn't as boring as he made himself out to be. This would be interesting, if anything.

A dark swirling opening appeared right beside her. She jumped away from the engulfing darkness that wanted to swallow her, but Shuichi was quick and had latched onto her arm with long nimble fingers. "Into the portal, dearest. It is the only way to the Spirit World for us." He shoved her hard and she stumbled forward, falling into the swirling, inky depths.

It felt like she was falling into icy water. The black ink was everywhere, trying to eat at her insides. She was suffocating, she realized, and then firm arms grasped her waist and dragged her toward the bottom of this strange pool.

Then, as if she had just walked from one room to another, she stepped out of the portal and into a strange world filled with strange smells. "Great! You made it." Sango gasped for breath, looking at the person who had spoken. "Whew! I wasn't sure if you would handle the transition, what with you being entirely human and all, with not a speck of magic in you."

Sango glared balefully at the peppy person. "Who…are you?" she demanded, slapping away Shuichi's hand. It had still been on her waist! Oh, the nerve of some people, can't they ever keep their hands to themselves? A snide part of her said gleefully, Well, I am pretty irresistible, I suppose it would be rather difficult.

She slapped that little part of her away. That was why Ryuichi called her a whore! How dare she think such thoughts! They were beneath the demon slayer!

"Oh, I'm Botan! The Lady Death. I'm one of the many who transports souls to the afterlife, but more importantly, I'm like… oh, now how do I put this… I'm the Queen of Death. Tee Hee! Nice to meet you!" What a silly woman this Lady Death was. So bubbly and chipper, it almost made Sango want to puke.

"Why wouldn't I make it through this thing?" She waved to the portal still swirling behind them. "And…what sort of sorcery brought me here? Or, better yet, where is _here_?"

"I was hoping you'd ask!" Botan chirruped, "But," she waggled her finger at Sango, "You don't have time for me to explain. Miss Higurashi is on the third to lowest level of the torture chamber, and it's going to be quite a journey for you to get there, you see! Don't let me hold you up!"

For a moment, Sango felt every inch of her body crash together and it was as if she was imploding on herself. "T…torture? Kagome? No! You're lying!" She yelled, feeling a sudden surge of denial burst forth. It wasn't Kagome. Not her Kagome anyway. Not her sister! Not her best friend! No way in hell was it her Kagome!

Botan scratched her cheek, looking slightly feline-like. "It's natural for you to be in denial right now, but I assure you I am not lying. I heard it from Prince Koenma's lips myself! And so I went to see if it was true, and it is, but she's too heavily guarded for me to take her out alive. I could only take her out dead, and we really can't afford that. Not if what I heard King Enma say is true and she is the Guardian of the Balance of Time."

Sango slumped her shoulders. Kagome? The Guardian of the what-in-whosit? The hell? What is this woman mumbling about? Kagome was no guardian of anything! Kikyou was the guardian of the Jewel of Four Souls, since she was alive again. Kagome mostly just came along to be with Inuyasha…didn't she? She couldn't care less of anything else!

"Sango, please. You and I are the only ones who could do this, but I need you to face the reality here. Kagome is in danger, and I know she's strong. She'll survive, but you must be here and focused for us to rescue her. I won't attempt this on my own. Please…" Shuichi said quietly, his hand on her shoulder.

She clenched her hand on the katana that Shuichi had handed her earlier and braced herself with determination. "Show me the way." But inside, she was quivering with fear for her friend. Here would be where Ryuichi would have been a great help! Damn the man and his stubborn possessiveness. Was it even possessiveness? No, probably not, she realized. The man really had no care for possessions. He just didn't want her getting too involved in this world.

Too late! She was involved and damn it, she was going to make whoever touched her sister pay dearly… with their lives!

Shuichi smiled briefly and with a brief glance at Botan—was it thankfulness?—he raced down the barren hall. She followed at a swift pace, easily matching his speed, despite the bone boomerang strapped to her back. "How far is it?" Sango asked the boy—no, not boy, she realized… he was a man, wasn't he?—as she narrowed her eyes ahead. There was a bright light at the end of this hall. What could that be?

She turned her head back for a second to see if that other woman was coming with. She wasn't. She was still back there, just starting to turn around and head back through the portal. The portal sealed in her wake, leaving nothing but air in its place. "It's very far." Shuichi said to her as they ran side by side down the corridor toward that light. "That there is the Field of Cultivation. It's a massive grave for the people who die during torture."

"Oh…" she said weakly, wishing she wasn't told.

"And beyond that is the actual entrance into the Dungeon of Torture, but only those with King Enma or Prince Koenma's permission are supposed to go in. King Enmawill allowno one except himself, his General and council, and his personal assistant to go anywhere, much less in there. Prince Koenma is less… severe, though."

Sango gulped. "And do we have permission?"

"Nope." Shuichi said definitively. Oh damn… Break the law again, Sango. You never learn, do you?

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	180. An Unforseen Mistake

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I wanted to get Chapter 2 of Fruit Salad out before I got this one. I urge you to read Fruit Salad and escape your current mind-frame!__**

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Chapter 180: An Unforseen Mistake

**-The Rebellion's Hideout-**

"Your Highness," Mitsuko knelt before the bed that the real Prince was resting on, feeling unease settle into her bones. Something had gone wrong--terribly wrong--that no one could have predicted ahead of time, and it was this something that made Mitsuko very uneasy.

Prince Koenma turned his head to look at Mitsuko, his brown eyes burning with the tears of pain that he refused to shed. Koenma hadn't healed yet. Not in six years had he gotten very far in the healing process, and it seemed that no amount of aide from anyone or anything would help him. His entire body remained bandaged and Mitsuko could see he had bled through in a few places again.

"What-is-it?" he asked the woman as he attempted to push himself up into an upright position. The pain was excruciating, but he had almost conquered it to the point that it was nearly bearable. His mother had certainly done a number on him, but that was the thing about Blood-Crest Demons. Their power was in how many poisons they could come to learn and develop in their blood.

Mitsuko didn't care about protocol when she saw him trying to sit up. This was her little brother! And he was in pain! She had taken care of him since he was just a new-born babe. She moved quickly to his side and gently urged him to lay back down. "My Lord, please don't strain yourself." she told him.

The injured Prince chuckled breathlessly. "If it please you..." he said in the barest of whispers. "Only if it please you."

She ignored his compliments. She had always known that she was the Prince of the Spirit World'selder sister, but at the same time she knew just why her father didn't want the Queen to know of her existance. Only a few knew of her relation to the Prince, and they all existed inside the Royal family, and included the Guardian of the Barrier. "My Lord, we breached the Dungeon of Torture and safely got the villagers out..."

Koenma was silent for a moment. "But..?" he inquired, guessingthere was more to the story than she wanted to give him. "What went wrong?"

"The woman you set me guarding... Lady Higurashi... She and her daughter were taken captive as well. We didn't get there in time to save the child, however. Touya is bringing Lady Higurashi here now." Mitsuko felt far worse than she knew she ought to. She had been keeping an eye on Lady Higurashi at Koenma's command for over five years now. She was unclear as to why, but Lady Higurashi was significant enough to attract the protection of both the Prince and the King of the Spirit World.

Koenma said nothing. He shoved his blankets aside with the agility of someone completely uninjured and swung his feet out of bed. She wished she knew where he got all his reserve strength from. But that question would remain unanswered, she had no doubt.

"Your Highness," Rinku urged from his position at the very end of the bed. "Please don't get up! You'll injure yourself further!" Worry showed deep in the eyes of the small demon.

"These wounds are nothing compared to what my father will give me should that child remain dead. Make sure the child's body is brought directly to me." There was a brief moment of pause before Koenma said, "There is something you're hiding from me, Mitsuko." He stated with a great amount of certainty.

Mitsuko actually felt a shiver go down her spine at the Prince's voice. She had hoped he wouldn't notice. She didn't want to tell him... "She... that is to say... Lady Higurashi..." she couldn't believe she was actually stammering like a fool at a loss for words. "Destroyed the tower. The Black Wings... they unfurled from her back and can be seen as clear as day..."

"I see... Make sure Yusuke stays in his room. He need not see the Lady yet. Not in the state she'll be in. You're both dismissed." Rinku was prepared to argue, but Mitsuko glared at him and he shut up. The two of them left together, and Mitsuko closed the door carefully behind her. The Prince was furious, and Mitsuko couldn't remember a time she had ever been so fearful of him. In fact, the fear cycle had always been the other way around. The Prince had always feared Mitsuko for some reason.

What changed?

Outside the room, Mitsuko walked quickly down the bare halls. Her footsteps echoed hollowly up and down the length of the corridor. Mitsuko wore stilettos, and Rinku wondered how she managed to stay standing on them thin sticks they called heels. But something else bothered him--something Mitsuko had said inside the room a moment ago, so he trotted after her, taking five steps for every one of her's.

"Ma'am? What're th' Black Wings? And who is Lady Higurashi? I've never heard of her before, and I know all the names of the nobles." He recieved no answer from Mitsuko, and guessed from the look she gave him that she had no intention to answer him either, so he drew back from her at the next corridor and turned down that hall.

It wasn't long before he had come across another person. The Hideout was usually filled with people, but most of them were off in the Spirit World aiding the rescue of Lord Shippou's granddaughter, Zenzen. Lord Shippou was an avid member of the Rebellion and he strongly disagreed with Queen Chieko being on the throne.

Surprisingly enough, though, it was Lord Shippou's wife who he saw: Lady Rin. Lady Rin walked with a grace that Rinku was positive no human_ or _demon could ever achieve, and she had never given off the same aura that any human or demon he had ever met did.

He followed her through the halls that had been built in secret for over two hundred years. For as much as Rinku could tell from all his eavesdropping, Lord Shippou and Mitsuko had created the Rebellion years ago, with only the most trustworthy members back then being in it. He followed Lady Rin for many miles of corridors and tunnels, never seeming to be able to catch up to her. But he refused to give up. Rinku glanced at her as he watched herturn up ahead into a room he hadn't really known existed.

That door was never there before, was it? So how was it there now? He hurried to catch up to her, slipping into the room before the door could close completely. If anyone knew what the Black Wings were, wouldn't it be a noble? They always kept secrets from their subordinates. He was about to shout out his question when a hand covered his mouth to keep him from speaking.

"Shh..." Lady Rin's voice was right in his ear, and it was all he could do to keep from screaming in terror at the sight before him. What was this creature he was staring at? It was huge, and was nailed on a cross. The creature was beautiful, but at the same time, she...it?...was the most gruesome thing he had ever seen.

Hair of the purest white snow flowed from the creature's head to it's waist, split in many places and very disorderly. Lines of age and wisdom appeared onevery inch of the creature's naked body. It's hair covered it's breasts, but couldn't cover the crotch completely. Lady Rin said quietly in his ear, "I will let you go, young one, but you must not scream. Never scream... Promise me..."

He gulped and nodded. Who did this creature look like? If he looked close enough, he noticed it looked like Lady Rin, only far older. Why did this creature repulse him so much? There was nothing really completely nasty about it, just that it was naked.The creature appeared to be slumbering lightly, having a very pleasant dream.

He realized he was no longer in the grasp of Lady Rin, and she had started walking toward the creature. He turned, very ready to leave. The door was missing! He had just come in through this door! But it was gone! There was not a single line on the wall. He felt the wall for what he assumed would be an invisible seam, but pulled his hand back the instant he felt something wet.

Blood. Blood covered his hand. Shock made him jump back, and he slipped onto his rear. He wanted to cry out, but something held his voice in. His promise to Lady Rin kept him silent. How was this possible? He had never in his life kept a promise before! He hated keeping promises! He looked for Lady Rin, but all he saw around him was death. Corpses hung from treelimbs that had never been there before, and there was a fencepost that his own mother was pinned to with a sword.

A scream echoed from afar, but it wasn't him screaming. It wasn't Lady Rin because it was a male voice. Who was screaming? And apart from the screaming, he heard the cackle of a mad woman. "Ha-ha-ha-ha! Such... a... sweet... secret..." The mad woman's voice came to him. "You-will-tell-me-everything!"

He wanted to scream still more as he saw the woman on the crucifix glaring down at him. Where did Lady Rin go? Why was he suddenly alone? Why was this woman on a crucifix? And why was she staring at him so hungrily? He managed to squeak out a small, "Don't hurt me!" before the vivid pictures around him exploded in an array of bloodshed. By the hands of a human, the entire village was being slaughtered.

Gunshots were being fired left and right. Bombs were exploding everywhere. And he couldn't do anything about it. This had already happened! Why was he living it again! He had pushed these memories away! He didn't want to see it! Leave me alone! Who are you? He silently asked the mad woman on the crucifix.

"Enough, Rinay!" Lady Rin appeared in the midst of his memory. Lady Rin would save him! He curled up in a ball on the floor as the images that tortured him faded away into nothing and the torch-lit room came back. The creature on the crucifix was once more looking like she was slumbering peacefully, and her swirling spectrum eyes were closed once more.

Strong arms picked him up. He looked up and saw he was being held by Lady Rin. "He-he-he-he!" cackled the mad voice, though it came not from the lips of the creature but from the very air that surrounded them all. "My daughter, I see you now, and I am disgusted. Where is your son? The one who gave me my heir?"

"He remains where he belongs, Rinay, and if I have my way you shall never see him." said Lady Rin. How could she be so bold in denying the creature what it wanted? "Nor shall you ever see her!"

"He-he-he-he! I have already seen her! She is my chosen, and you cannot stop that! Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"She will kill herself if the child remains dead. I know you did it, didn't you? That was your doing! How could you kill a child?" Lady Rin demanded of the creature. If the creature was stapled to a cross, how could it kill anything, Rinku wondered, but stayed safe in Lady Rin's arms. His heart was pounding faster and faster each time he heard the creature speak.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! I did! I did it! I have my chosen, so I have no reason for the child, now do I?" The creature never moved as it voiced what it wanted to. Rinku couldn't believe the thing could be so cold. It really did kill someone? But how? Was it magic? Could it remove itself from the crucifix?

"Rinay," Lady Rin's voice was terribly soft and so sinister that Rinku was forced to wonder if he had ever heard anything like it before. Lady Rin had always struck him as the type who could never hurt a fly, but here she was sounding like that? And she only had to say one word, a name really.

"Dare you challenge me, Rin?" The creature's laughter filled the air again. How malicious that sound was... what was the creature? "I created you! I am your ancestor! Without me, you would not have existed in this world!"

"Indeed, I would not be here without you, grandmother." the Lady said. "But your very existance is pathetic. Now, return the child to her body, and bring her back to life, grandmother, or I will cut your life off as quickly as you took her's."

The creature was silent for a long moment. There was not a single sound in the room. And then, Rinku watched as their surroundings faded into gray fog before the fog lifted and a little girl appeared, barely half the size that Rinku was. She was so small! "Mommy! It's dark! Where are you?" the child cried.

Lady Rin snarled, "Return her!" The child suddenly vanished. "Grandmother, if you attempt this again... the consequences for you will be dire. Do not make me correct your mistakes, because the instant I have to... even your power-crazed mind must be able to imagine some senarios, right?"

"Fine!" the creature said coldly. "I will have to find another one to accompany me. Him. Yes. Come to me, my dearest..." A new figure appeared. Pointy black hair. Crimson eyes. Pale skin... Rinku recognized him.

"That's Hiei!" He said quietly with no small amount of shock. But he couldn't shout out. Lady Rin heard him.

"Grandmother, I will take this soul with me. You do not deserve company." Lady Rin was so cruel to the creature, but the creature was just as evil right back. "The moment I sense another soul in here with you, I will punish you in the most severe manner... do you understand me?"

The silence after that was far more lengthy than before, and now Rinku actually felt very afraid. It was as though the silence hid more than it showed, and he didn't like the feel of that. How could the lovely Lady Rin be related to such a hideous _thing_? He felt a wave of relief when they reentered the corridor outside again and the creature's presence had disappeared as though it was in a whole different world.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	181. SelfPreservation

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I wanted to get Chapter 2 of Fruit Salad out before I got this one. I urge you to read Fruit Salad and escape your current mind-frame!__**

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Chapter 181: Self-Preservation

**-Thirty Minutes Before-**

It was dark. It was so very dark. It had only been three hours, but it felt like it had been months since she had seen daylight. Despite all her good intentions, she had screamed. When she heard Akari screaming in pain—they were torturing a five year old, the bastards!—she had lost her mind and the pain consumed her will to keep silent.

Today was supposed to be a special day. Akari was supposed to be happy today. It was her birthday! She was supposed to smile and giggle and chuckle and run around and eat sweets. But Akari had screamed so much that she couldn't use her voice anymore, and that was clear in the way she sobbed heavily into Kagome's bare bosom, but no sound came from her.

"It's okay," Kagome assured Akari in a raspy voice. "Mommy's here. I promise you, we won't be here much longer. Mommy will get you out." Akari nodded, her little body bleeding from several places. Kagome held her baby closer, despite knowing the movement would open her own wounds farther. Inside, Kagome knew something had changed about them both.

Both were emotional distraught. Kagome had been kidnapped by evil and devious people before, but never before had she been violated in every way anyone could possibly think. Yes, today she was no longer a virgin mother. Her wounds were not just on the outside, and neither were Akari's. Akari traced letters on Kagome's skin—smart little Akari could write, even if she couldn't use her voice anymore.

M—O—M—M—Y T—H—E—Y T—O—U—C—H—E—D M—E A—L—L O—V—E—R. W—I—L—L D—A—D—D—Y C—O—M—E S—O—O—N?

A door inside Kagome opened. The door that always refused to remain open when she needed it. The well of her magic was open and at her disposal, mathematics-be-damned. She kissed Akari's forehead, smoothing what was left of her hair after the cruel men had hacked it off.They hadn'tany careif they took skin with it. "We'll go to Daddy." She promised, pulling that power to her fingertips.

As she ran her hand over her daughter's body, the wounds stopped looking so red and they healed themselves up. In some places, scars were left as reminders, but in others, there was nothing to show for what had occurred. She didn't get it. Akari was just a child! What type of sick fuck would do this to a child? Yes, she swore in her head, and damn it she was pissed!

Not just her child, but how many other children had they done this to? Hiei was right. Child molesters and rapists, they do seek people like her and Akari, don't they? So, did this mean that Inuyasha never was the problem? Did it mean that all that danger was attracted to _her_? Was she the cause of everyone's problems?

"Come on, sweetie." She said, reaching inside her for that well of power again while she stood up, carrying her child. A whisper in her mind called to her, _Kagome… Kagome… Kagome… Shall I lead you out?_ She ignored this very unfunny voice in her mind that sneered at her. Placing her hand on the bars to the cell, she pushed the power out of her hand and let it fill the bars to the maximum breaking point.

But this power was different! It wasn't the same as when she used those bursts of priestess power all those times. This power called to her and it wanted to protect her, but more than that, she felt she could use this power with freedom. A pool of multi-colored—was it liquid?—covered every inch of the cell bars, and it melted away like nothing at all.

_Kagome… Kagome… Kagome… Let me lead you… Let me lead you…_

Akari was afraid, but Kagome didn't blame her. She was too. She couldn't rely on others to rescue her for the rest of her life, could she? Did anyone even know where she was? Would anyone rescue her anyway? Did anyone even care? It didn't seem like it because how many times had she gotten into these situations? They were sick of rescuing her, weren't they?

After all, she was completely useless to the group, so what was the point? Why should they care? The hallway was dark, and the torches blew out as she passed as if a strong gust of wind was passing over them. She carried her child through the halls that she had walked so many times before, meeting no one until she finally reached the torture chamber.

The torturers were surprised to see her, but as usual they said nothing. Did they have tongues with which to speak? They stood with a clear intention to stop her from leaving, probably torture her and her child a little more.

_Kagome… Let me lead you… Kagome… Let me lead you…_

She felt a burning sensation in her neck, as if something was biting her. Her blood flowed violently through her veins. Was she just dreaming, or was the voice in her head getting louder and more persistant the more her neck hurt?

_Kagome, let me lead you along the path... Together we will prevail victorious... Let me lead you along the path..._

What path? What path was she going down? Where was she to be led? Who would lead her? No one would rescue her anymore. No one noticed or cared that she was gone. No one cared that this beautiful little miracle that she held in her hands was dying in her mother's arms.

She had quite enough of these disgusting creatures that had not only violated her in every way imaginable and made her scream until she was hoarse, but had done the same to her daughter. Would she let them get away with what they had done? Would she allow them to do such horrible things to others?

This place was hideous! How many times had Kagome walked down these halls and seen these vile creatures doing their work to person after person? How many times had Kagome walked toward the very cell that she had just been held captive in?

How many times had she reentered the corridor down the stairs that led to the cell that Hiei was held captive in? Akari wanted Hiei to save them, but Kagome knew better now. She couldn't trust anyone with her life anymore. Life was so fragile, and she was at the breaking point.

Show me the way... She said to the voice in her mind. Her back ached like nothing she had ever felt before. No amount of torture could pain her more than whatever was bursting from her back right then. It was horrid. Those torturers stood no chance, she knew that much.

They thought they did. That was their problem. The pain dimmed considerably and she felt two somethings burst from her back like sharp razors. A glance over her shoulder told her that moist black feathers were there. "Ha-ha-ha-ha!" she laughed hoarsely before she could stop herself.

She should have known. Bad things always happened to her. And then everything went blank. She didn't know what had happened, just that when she regained her conscience, she was lying in a small tree-groove. Akari was lying limp and cold beside her. Heavy, blood matted wings made of black feathers still were on her back.

She wanted to touch Akari to see if her child was okay, but she didn't dare. What if Akari wasn't? She couldn't bear it. She wanted to see if Akari was alright, but she couldn't bring herself to find out. Had death consumed the innocent once more? Why was Kagome covered in blood? Who did this matted blood belong to?

"Ka, forgive me..." she whispered to the child, though it did not respond. "I owe you more than I am giving you, but I am clutched by fear..." She didn't really care where she was. She could barely lift herself with those heavy wings on her back, but she dragged herself as close to Akari as she could without touching the dead child. "I am such a coward... Perhaps it is I who deserves death?"

**-Elsewhere-**

Sango couldn't believe what she was looking at. A big pile of rubble was where the tower in the distance had been, and they had seen it explode. Shuichi and Sango were both witnesses to the giant bird-like creaturethat the tower had given birth to, though they had only seen it at a distance. A very long distance.

They couldn't define much more than the creature was black and red before it zoomed off into the sun. Shuichi seemed increasingly depressed the longer they stood by the rubble. When she asked why, she wished she had kept her mouth shut. "Kagome was on one of the very lowest levels. There is no way she could have made it out alive."

Before they could say much more, the stamping of feet was heard. A squad of soldiers that had been on patrol through the Field of Cultivation was on its way over to investigate. Despite both Sango and Shuichi's desire to find Kagome's body in the mess, neither of them could bring themself to do so. Self-preservation had kicked in. Neither would be much use if they were taken by soldiers.

They took off running back the way they came. "We'll find Botan. She can take us back to the Human World. There is nothing we could do here now." Sango wanted to disagree, but didn't. She knew he was right. Having hope would only be futile. Even Kagome couldn't survive that, despite her uncanny ability to survive through so much else.

Sango would now have to face Ryuichi and tell him of Kagome's death. It wasn't something she was looking forward to very much.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	182. Kagome's Wings

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Iritwi and Ryutsu have disappeared from my reviewers... I miss them dearly!__**

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Chapter 182: Kagome's Wings

Kagome woke with a painful itch on her back and a stitch in her side that she wasn't sure she would ever be able to make go away. She lifted her head with great difficulty to attempt to peer at her body, but saw blankets instead of her naked body, and her arms were clothed.

Somewhat panicked at the thought that Akari might not be with her anymore--if someone rescued her, would they have picked up a likely-dead child?--she turned her head toward where Akari had been when she fell asleep in the forest. Akari was not there, but a further panicked glance around the room told her that Akari was sleeping in a crib several feet away, hugging a new doll, and sucking her thumb.

She was breathing aside from that. The little doll's loose hairs wiggled with the airflow. But what didn't make sense to Kagome was that from the distance she was at, she shouldn't be able to see those hairs moving. Kagome shouldn't be able to see the doll's feature's like she was holding it in her hands.

Something was wrong. She couldn't yet define what it was, but something was wrong and everything about her told her it was. The painful itch on her back became more prominent and when she went to scratch it, she finally noticed something far more disturbing than her seemingly newfound increased sight ability: Kagome was tieddown to the bed she was on.

Her arms, and her feet were tied to the bed. Was this a new form of torture the guards had developed? Was her escape all a dream? That would explain why Akari was alive, wouldn't it? She heard voices approaching from the other side of the wall and looked toward the end of her bed where the voices were coming from.

The door was cracked open just a few inches. That was when she realized the only source of light in the room was from the small crack in the door, flickering torch-light from outside. There were no windows in the room to let in light or darkness. "My dear husband," how familiar was that voice? Too familiar for comfort...

Kagome let her head fall back to the pillow and closed her eyes to pretend to sleep, though her breathing was too heavy. She was afraid again. Whose voice was that? Why did she recognize the voice but could not recall who it belonged to? Had she lost her touch? "Yes, love?" That one was even more recognizable! It was distinctly male, though far more mature than she had last heard it.

Shippou... Could it be? Was he her captor? No, it wasn't Shippou. He wouldn't do something like that to her. Shippou couldn't hurt a fly, much less the person he viewed as an older sister, now could he? "Why won't you give me permission to cross the barrier? You know I have to return that poor boy to his body."

The one Kagome thought might be Shippou said, "Because the General and his soldiers are swarming the place. You know he and I have never been at very good terms." Who was the General and what place were they talking about? How could someone return a boy to his body? Wasn't a boy in his body already?

She recalled all the times she had died, sitting beside her body and looking down at it as though she were a completely different entity. And people around her could never see her. She would scream out to them sometimes and still they never listened to her. They didn't even acknowledge her. Was that what they were talking about? Were they meaning the person's soul?

She had seen many souls outside their bodies before. When she was a little girl, she once thought she saw two elderly twin men sitting on a park bench, one sleeping and the other staring at his brother but when she pointed to the men, her mother had said only one person was there and had called the paramedics. They had taken the elderly man away in a black bag.

It was years before she could understand what had happened, and even now there wasn't a clear meaning to it. But it made sense. She had always been a bit more special than others. She could see things that other people couldn't. And this often got in the way of things that she was trying to accomplish.

It was another reason why her friends were so easily able to believe that Kagome had all the sicknesses that her grandfather used to make up for her, because she had always seemed to them like she was 'mentally unstable'. Sometimes as a child she would talk to these souls and not realize she wasn't talking to a real person, and other people would see her as talking to herself.

She turned her mind back to evening out her breath. How could Akari sleep so peacefully? Her back likely didn't hurt like there were bones being pinched there. And the child was probably not tied down. Hopefully not tied down. Kagome hoped.

"Dear, His Highness is not going to punish me just because he doesn't like you." The first voice said, sounding distinctly feminine. Where had she heard that voice before? Why was it familiar and yet at the same time not? Who was 'His Highness'? "Momo will be with me, so I'll be fine. You know I'll just go anyway."

There was a sigh and Kagome heard the footsteps stop near the cracked door. "Must you make things difficult, Rin?" Rin? Rin! RIN! Dear lord, Rin was just a human! How was this possible? Was Kagome back in the Fuedal Era and just didn't realize it? How the heck was this even possible? It was insane! Preposterous!

"Yes, and you know I must. I have my reasons for involving myself in the life of that boy. Now be a good husband and give me permission to cross the barrier." The door hinges creaked loudly, and Kagome assumed that someone had entered the room by the sound of the footsteps, but she dared not open her eyes.

"Fine. Take Joan and his men as well. That area is unsafe for you to be on your own with just Momo." The footsteps and voice got closer to Kagome's bed and her heart beat faster with every step. She kept her eyes shut lightly though. Be calm, she told herself, though everything about her wanted to get up, take Akari, and high-tail it out of there.

Unfortunately the fact that she was tied down did nothing to advance those plans. "Thank you, love." said the female before her clicking footsteps disappeared away.

The male voice said after the female had gone, "But know I let you go only because I know your reasons..." The creaking of a chair she heard as if someone had just sat down next to her. "Why are you so familiar?" The male asked after a long silence.

She couldn't stop her curiosity and fear from making her open one eye to look at the person who had sat next to her. She could see his face clearly in what should have been near complete darkness. He had bright red hair kept very askew down to his chin and his forehead housed a shimmering red, orange, and yellow sun on it.

His bright green-hazel eyes reminded her of Shuichi, the boy she knew to have a fox demon spirit as a counterpart. The boy she could have sworn she had fallen in love with. The boy who had not--in five years--attempted to contact her. How could he be so shallow? How could she be so decieved. No one really cared for her!

Here she was, captive. Was anyone there by her to save her? No. No there wasn't. It appeared the only real friend she had ever had was Hiei, who she wasn't supposed to know the name of. But even he hadn't come after her, though she had saved his life. No one cared for the weak. She was weak, and that was obvious.

But then, why was the door to her magic still open? And why did she tingle all over as if any minute she could use her magic, mathematics be-damned. Why was her magic so ready to be used, and she didn't have to even attempt to use it... it would just be there...

If she was stronger, things would be different, right? What did she have to do to show people that she was worth something? What did she have to do to prove that she was worth her weight in gold and more?

"Why have you taken my daughter and me captive?" she croaked out, wishing she didn't sound so scared. How could she prove she was worth something if she couldn't even sound assured that she was safe? Well, it was hard to sound like that if she didn't know what would happen in a few seconds. Would he kill her? Would he hurt her? Would he rape her? Toss her around like a rag-doll?

She seemed to amuse the man, and he seemed also pleased to see she was awake. His smile kept growing wider and wider the longer she waited for his answer. Finally he responded to her. "Take you captive? Me?" Something about him was so...familiar. But he was not at all recognizable. He didn't look the same.

"Please, whatever your plans are--" His laughter cut off her pleas and she wondered what type of madman he was. He was more amused by the minute.

He explained in a soft voice, "No, dear woman. I have not taken you captive. you are free to come and go as you please." But the ties? She was tied up to a bed! Why was she if she was free to come and go at her will? He seemed to know what she was thinking by the expression on her face. "Mere protection to keep you from harming yourself or others, I assure you."

Who was this person? What did he want from her? Whatwas the point of sounding so kind if Kagome was just going to be freaked out by him anyway? "Miss Higurashi, I spent a lot of my resources just in locating you. I would not waste all that effort just to kill you. If I desired you ill-will, I would have left you to your fate in the Dungeon of Torture and let someone else take the blame for your death."

She watched him as he reached out and began to undo the ties on her wrist closest to him. "Why did you find us? What do you want from us?"

He shook his head, "Not from your daughter." he told her as he leaned across her body and untied that strap. Once her hands were free, she began to massage her wrists. She noticed several slash marks on her wrists as if she had tried to kill herself. "But you, or so I am told, are the Guardian of Time."

"Huh? I am what?" This odd man found her amusing to no end. What exactly was this man blabbering about now? He moved to the end of the bed and lifted the sheets to reveal her feet and the ties on her ankles.

He ignored her question. "Touya was supposed to untie you as soon as you regained consciousness, but you were expected to sleep for a few hours yet and he is with Yusuke right now--"

Yusuke? Was it _her_ Yusuke? No... Impossible! Not if the woman, Rin, was _her_ Rin. The two simply couldn't coexist in the same time dimension. It wasn't possible.

"--helping the boy with his daily rehab. You and your daughter are very lucky. It doesn't seem like there will be any lasting physical side effects for either of you, though only further examination will determine that for certain." Kagome knew he was wrong. Akari Dekage would likely never speak again. This knowledge made her increasingly depressed.

Footsteps in the hall outside alerted the two to a new arrival. A man with ice-blue hair entered the dark room. Her odd sight ability still confused her.The room seemed to become fifteen degrees colder upon his arrival.He looked very annoyed. "Ah, speak of the devil." said the red-haired man, making the newcomer's look turn from annoyance to a scowl.

"What do you want? Come to laugh at me again?" asked the newcomer. Kagome hazarded to guess that this was Touya.

Red-hair laughed. "No, no--I was just leaving." He walked out and the newcomer--Touya?--came over.

"So you're awake. He untied you, I see. I always knew he was a moron." Something changed. Instantly the man wasn't as much like an icicle as before. She couldn't describe it, but she felt like this new man understood her and that she could trust him.

"Are you... Touya?" she asked him. She recieved a nod in response. "Who was that man?"

"Oh, him?" Touya crossed the room again and shut the door. Complete darkness engulfed them. Without even the light of the hallway to guide the way, both of them shouldn't have been able to see anything at all. But she saw as though she wore nightvision goggles. And clearly he could see perfectly well too, because he ably walked over to somewhere her line of vision couldn't reach and she heard the sound of a match being struck.

Within seconds, there was flickering candlelight to see by. He went around the room lighting the candles in the sconces on the walls using his original candle. He talked to her as he did so. "That was Lord Shippou, ruler of Megatropolis. Before the worlds split, he was the ruler of the Eastern Lands, but I don't expect you to know what I'm talking about." He returned to her and set the candle on what she assumed was a table somewhere behind her head.

"Really?" Somehow he made her fear go away, like they were both on the same level. How did he do it? she wondered. "I mean, why wouldn't I understand?"

"I said nothing about understanding," she felt a faint blush stain her cheeks, "anyone with half a brain can understand. But you're human, so you won't remember."

"Remember what?" A sudden coughing fit seized her. She placed her hands to cover her mouth and felt moist spatters hit her palm. It was blood. She was coughing up blood. Kagome looked at Touya and knew shock registered on her face. She wished she knew why all the bad things had to happen to her. And what was with those recent wounds on her wrists?

Touya smiled at her warmly. "I'll get you some water. In the meantime, stay put. Here's a towel you can cough into if you feel like you have to do so again." He handed her a white towel about the size of a dish rag before he headed for the door and left without another word.

Kagome had never really been one to stay in bed when she was told and the itch on her back--previously forgotten--had become more pronounced again. She pushed back the covers and dragged herself to a sitting position. For some odd reason it was very hard. Something was very heavy on her back.

But when her feet touched the cold stone floor, and she saw Akari was only a few--or seven--feet away, she knew she could do it. Why had she suddenly felt the urge to scratch an itch on her back, and then the instant she saw her child, it had gone away? Why did strange things occur to her? Why did the world give her the scraps off the table?

Akari... Akari... I must see her... I must, I must see my child! Her thoughts ran rampant in her mind. _Kagome... Let me lead you..._ Yes, she remembered that voice. She remembered that voice that had spoken to her at least during two occassions before. She recalled being in the village just down the road from the mansion when the first occassion occurred. And the second?

Well, the second was down in the dungeon. Both times after hearing the voice, she could recall blacking out. _The path awaits you, Kagome... Let me lead you..._ What path? What path? No, she didn't want to go down any path! She just wanted to see her daughter. She wanted to feel her daughter's heartbeat. She wanted to hold her daughter in her arms and rest assured that her daughter was okay.

She didn't want to go down any damn path! _The path awaits you, Kagome. Let me lead you down it..._Go away! Go away! She didn't want to hear this voice! She didn't want to listen! She didn't have to listen! It was her life! She wouldn't listen! La-la-la-la! Can't hear! Can't hear!

"Akari..." Kagome whispered. Her child stirred, but did not wake. Akari Dekage merely turned on her back and removed her wrinkled thumb from her mouth, sprawling with the blankets half covering her. Akari always got cold if her blankets came off from her tossing and turning. Kagome needed to cover Akari up or else she'd wake.

And what about Shippou? Was this "Lord Shippou" the same as her fox-cub friend? Or was it another one, a severe coincidence? What time period was she in? The well _had_ pulled her back and forth before. But would that pull extend to Akari too? They were technically the same person, weren't they?

Those strange people in her dream in the dungeon... What about them? What about their insistance that Kagome choose a father for her daughter? Was that real? Would Akari really take another person's DNA just simply through a person's touch? If that was true, Kagome hadto choose soon. She had to choose a father for her daughter.

Touya spoke of the world splitting. She had heard of that same thing by eavesdropping on Hiei, Keiko, and Chu. Couldn't someone explain this to her? What had happened that the worlds were split? Was this at all in relation to the fact that Naraku was alive and well in her time?

Oh! What if... Oh no! What if it was Naraku who had her taken captive and tortured? Did he... was his intention... He wanted to get the Jewel Shards, didn't he? And she didn't have them to protect them now! She kept them in her bedroom at the mansion, taped underneath her desk.

But now... Oh, what was she to do? She didn't even know where she was at the moment, much less where she was in relation to where the mansion was! How was she going to get home now?

And why the heck were so many people seemingly coincidentally named the same as people she knew? Was it a coincidence or a fluke? Or wasn't it? They had mentioned Yusuke. Shippou. Rin. What the heck sort of thing was she involved in? How was she to know where she was if everyone was impossibly existing in the same time dimension?

Kagome pushed herself to her feet, determination in her bones. She couldn't answer many of her questions, but she could answer one, at least. Akari. Was Akari okay? For a second, she stood there... and then just as promptly fell forward. The sound of shattering glass echoed in the room, and Akari stirred again, though did not wake.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist. In her haste to stay upright, she threaded her fingers in the cool shirt of Touya. It was hard to breathe. What was so heavy on her back? It dragged on her chest too. She was forced to lean heavily against Touya as her breathing became labored.

Touya was speaking. She should probably listen to him. "--need to learn to walk again. I'll help you in your rehabilitation, but you have to listen to me. Lift your wings. If they stay like that long, the weight of them will rip them out of their sockets."

She was about to protest that she didn't have wings, but that weight on her back, and her memories of the wings in the forest stopped her short. She recalled in the Dungeon when there was that voice and felt the terrible ripping feeling on her back, like something was cutting it's way out of her back. "W...wings.." she panted.

"Yes, Miss." said Touya, as if she had finished her sentence. "Rehabilitation will be difficult because you weren't born with them, and so you have to build up muscles to support them or they'll suffocate you."

After many long moments trying to do as he said and lift the wings that she now knew were the source of her discomfort, Touya helped her refold them against her back and lay down on the bed again. "I'm so sorry, Touya. I should have listened." she rasped in apology.

She recieved a faint smile from him, "Don't worry about it." He told her. "I did the same thing." She found it odd that he said "did" instead of "would have done". Was he having problems with his terminology, or did he mean to say that? "Here. Drink this. It will help you sleep."

He helped her to lift her head and drink from a small bottle he pulled out of his pocket, then went to clean up the shattered glass and water from the floor. "Thank you, Touya. You don't know me, and yet you are so kind." She was sleepy...

"I don't have to know you, Miss. Not to know how you will suffer." Soon Kagome was asleep again.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	183. TeaParty

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Iritwi and Ryutsu have disappeared from my reviewers... I miss them dearly!__**

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Chapter 183: Tea-Party

When Kagome woke again, Akari was having a Tea Party with two dolls and Touya on a short table on the floor. Touya merely looked amused at the young girl. Akari didn't talk, but would convey what she wanted through a very simple form of charades.

Touya seemed easily able to understand the child, but it broke Kagome's heart to remember the single instant when she heard Akari screaming, and then suddenly there was no sound at all. How could those creatures, those fiends, do such to a child? How could they betray their own children by doing it to someone else's?

Touya would respond in a very quiet voice as well, as if he didn't feel like waking Kagome by being noisy. "Hattie told me she wanted a cookie." Touya said. Akari nodded and gave one of the dolls a cookie, placing it on the doll's plate. She also picked up a tea-kettle and offered it to Touya. "Oh, yes please." Touya smiled and nodded.

He looked all together too big for this tea-party, but it really warmed Kagome's heart to see Akari able to play with someone who would play back, even if they were older and far wiser, and looked absolutely ridiculous 'sipping tea' from a tiny porcelain cup.

He lifted his tea-cup and saucer, holding it out toward Akari. The young girl poured imaginary tea in the cup, smiled, and gave the cup back. Touya put a cookie in his mouth and ate it. The cookies seemed to be the only real things on the table.

Akari 'filled' the cups of the two dolls just as there was a knock at the door. "Please, excuse me ladies." Akari put her hand over her mouth as if she was giggling at what Touya had said, though she made no sound despite her quivering shoulders.

Touya stood and walked to the door. He unlocked it and opened it a crack. "Yes?" He inquired of the person in the hall. Kagome couldn't see them--Touya was in the way. "Lady Rin said not to let anyone enter. I follow her orders--not yours..."

There was another brief pause, in which Kagome assumed the person was speaking, though she was too tired and lazy at the moment to try to listen. It was a moment in which Kagome reflected on Akari and the dream she had in the dungeon just recently.

Was it real? Or a figment of her deluded imagination? Who was the airy voice that spoke last, and who was the mad-woman that had a whole body? Was she really some sort of Chosen One? Well, it made sense in a way that the dream was real. She had, after all, had dreams that were real before; walking down the corridors of the dungeon time and time again was one of those.

And it matched up with what they said she would be if she were a Chosen One, and what that red-haired man called her: Guardian of Time. But what about their promise to make Akari take the DNA of the one who touched her? The Airy Voiced head had said that she would make it so Kagome had a week to choose the father.

How longhad it been since she dreamed that? Because Akari had been touched by many different males in the dungeon. How much time did Kagome have left to choose? Who should she choose? Hiei? The thought of it made her feel sick to her stomach. No, not Hiei. He left her to her fate in the dungeon. He didn't even attempt to save her! And where was he now?

He was probably laughing at her wherever he was. He probably conjured up this idea to get rid of her because he didn't like the fact that she wouldn't let him leave her mansion. Didn't he know he could have left at any time? Why did he have to be a bastard and let her get caught? Like she could have caught up to him if he decided to leave!

Touya said then, "Fine. You owe me big for this one though. Wait out here for a moment." Touya shut the door, and Kagome closed her eyes. She felt so angry that it had made her tired. She assumed someone wanted to come in, but who it was, she didn't know. And why? Why did they want to come in? Well, to be frank, she didn't really care. Akari was happy with Touya, so they must be safe.

Even though she was angry, her breathing was normal. It came from years of practice trying to get a five year old who woke up at four in the morning to go back to sleep without actually telling her to. Usually Akari would go back to sleep if Kagome looked like she was sleeping, and then Kagome could get up at a much more reasonable time... like four-thirty, or quarter to five. Even then, Akari never did like to sit patiently.

Akari was truly a genius child. She loved to study, but in order for her to do that, Kagome needed to be awake since Akari's books were on a high shelf that even a chair wouldn't reach. Sometimes Kagome would wake to find that despite her efforts to discourage Akari from studying ALL the time, Akari would still be reading a book of Kagome's from the bottom shelf, trying to make sense of it.

Weirdest of all, most of the time, Akari _could_ make sense of it. Kagome was very pleased with how smart her daughter was, and how high her daughter's math and reading comprehension was, but it did worry her. She didn't want her daughter to just become a bookworm. That was why Kagome had been meaning to go to visit her mother. Kagome wanted Akari enrolled in school where she would have more interaction with other children her age instead of just the random trips to the village.

And to do so, she had been intending to beg her mother to let her move back in with her, despite the fact that she could get an apartment if she wanted to. If she moved back in with her mother, she could also have access to the well and she could try out some of the things she had been meaning to do to unseal the well and get back to the past. If Kagome managed to get through the well, that would mean Akari would still be taken care of despite the fact that Kagome was gone.

Because Kagome really needed to get back. Five years was an awefully long time, and by then, they probably thought she was deador had forgotten about them. Kagome heard Touya step across the room but didn't hear any indication that he resumed his place at the table. In fact, he said, "Akari, it's time for your lessons." There was a pause as Akari Dekage seemed to be getting up. "Yes, Lady Mitsuko will be waiting. No, no. Don't worry about cleaning up. We'll play again later."

With a small shuffle of feet, two sets of footsteps went toward the door. The door creaked open and Touya said, "No one enters here, got it? I'll be back in a few minutes." The door was shut.

Someone was still in the room with her.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	184. Still Asleep

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: One word: Love and Peace. Well, that's three words. Five if you count "one word". Nine if you count... oh forget it.__**

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Chapter 184: Still Asleep

The person walked across the stone floor and sat down next to the bed in the chair that Kagome knew was for Touya. She was about to open her eyes to see who was there, but then she heard them speak. Her familiarity with that voice made her keep her eyes closed. He didn't come for her. She saved his life, and he left her.

"You're still asleep, huh?" It was her not-so nameless friend. Or not-so friendly betrayer. Either way worked. By not rescuing her, he had stabbed her in the back. How dare he sit by her bedside like he was her friend? And where was he when she was initially captured? No where to be seen, clearly.

Her eyes stayed shut and she had to make a conscious effort to keep her breathing even as if she really were sleeping still. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. Touya used to be a Military Medic, I heard." How bold could he be just to sit there next to her? She really wanted to get up and strangle him. She didn't want him near her or even Akari. What if society was right to shun him for all those years? What if she had just kicked him out the moment she found out?

Would things have been different then?

"Damn, look at me sitting here." he said, echoing her thoughts. "I don't really have any right to. I betrayed you. I should have been there for you. I..." he sighed. "I wish I could have been."

No, things wouldn't have been different. Not much different anyway. How could she even think such cruel things? Could she really hate everyone for not rescuing her? If so, millions of people would instantly make a list she had always reserved for the seriously wicked.

There was a humorless chuckle from Hiei. "And this is me looking pathetic. You can't even hear me. You won't know I sat here. I could tell you I love you and you wouldn't know."

It was a struggle for her after that to remain still and not alert him to the fact that she was awake. She wanted to cry. She wanted to beat herself over the head with something very hard until she was bloody. She hated him, and she knew it. She hated him for everything she was worth now, but he had practically admitted he loved her. She didn't love him, she didn't like him.

Forgive me, she thought miserably. His words didn't make her like him. In fact, they made her hate him more, because he knew. He _knew_ he had betrayed her by not being there. He should know it was _his_ fault that Akari had been molested. If he had come, then things would have been different, she knew. If he had come even after Akari had been molested, still it would be different. But he didn't.

He took her hand and it took all her self control not to reel in disgust. That such a vile creature should touch her person. He wasn't vile to her because of his elements. He was disgusting because of his perversion; because he hadn't been there. That he didn't do everything in his power to save her from that hellish place showed his true self. She wanted to kill him. She wanted him to endure all the vile things that she and Akari had to deal with in the dungeon.

And then Touya returned. Hiei left. It was only a few seconds before Kagome burst into tears. Touya took her in his arms and it was _he_ who held her. He asked, "Tell me what is wrong."

She responded, "I hate him. I hate everything about him. I only know the next time I see him, I will kill him." He didn't have to ask who she was talking about, or indeed if she thought she might be able to kill. Her voice was filled with conviction, and with power that reverberated in his soul. Kagome _would_ kill Hiei if she saw him again.

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**That's just crazy. But sexy crazy. Haha!**


	185. In Two Places At Once

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Close every door to me. Hide all the world from me. Bar all the windows, and shut out the light...__**

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Chapter 185: In Two Places At Once

**-Feudal Era-**

He was getting close... He could feel the song getting louder. The bone eater's well was just ahead. He stepped into the clearing and the first thing he saw was Kikyou and Kohaku. Kikyou looked scared. Kohaku looked ready for battle.

Shippou wondered what could scare a dead woman, and looked at the lip of the bone eater's well, where Kikyou was looking. He saw her... or it... whatever it was. The thing's back was to them. Shippou decided it was a female, from the structure of the naked body. Black feathered wings burst from her back and were spread wide. She was holding something to her bosom, but he couldn't tell what it was.

Black hair fell from her head down below her thighs and mingled with those wings. Scars littered her body everywhere, marring her skin almost in a disgusting pattern. She started to turn around and the first thing Shippou noticed was the tiny child in her arms. The child was quietly sobbing, but made no noise at all.

Shippou took a step back when he saw the winged creature's face. "Kagome..." he whispered, shaking his head. It wasn't really her, was it?

She smiled gently. "It is me..." she said. "It was time I came back..."

Kikyou said abruptly, "The well was sealed with tainted magic. You have not the power to remove that seal!"

Kagome chuckled, but Shippou heard sadness in that laugh. He moved forward toward that winged creature. Could there be a mistake? Could this not really be Kagome by some chance? Was that at all possible?

No, this was her. This was Kagome. "Did you call us?" Shippou wanted to know. "Why did you leave us for so long?"

Kagome seemed to ignore his questions. Her eyes fogged over and she fell forward off the well. Her wings seemed to act of a mind of their own and instantly burst into motion. Gusts of wind broke the stillness and made little dust tornados that swirled through the grass. Shippou didn't have to catch her; somehow those wings did.

But why did Kagome have wings? She still held that child to her. Both of them were naked—why though? Shippou began shedding his haori and he moved toward Kagome. "Here, cover the child up." He said. He wished he could give Kagome his shirt, but any idiot would be able to see that she couldn't wear it anyway.

"Keep your clothes, Your Majesty..." How did she know? She smiled down at him, but that fog was not out of her eyes. She seemed to be looking at something happening somewhere else in time; this wasn't an unreasonable idea, since she could travel to other worlds.

She laughed as if someone had told her a funny joke, but no one had said a thing. Shippou wondered if traveling to other worlds had finally made Kagome crack. He wanted to know why she had wings now, when they were never there before. Was it something to do with her traveling through dimensions?

The child in her arms stopped crying and looked up at Kagome with the most intelligent eyes that Shippou had ever seen. Shippou had seen demons thousands of years old look less intelligent than that tiny black haired child.

As if out of nowhere, particles of the dirt that her wings were stirring up began to shoot at her and the child. It covered them both like clothes, but it looked distinctly like sand, dirt, and grass, with a sprinkling of leaves. "I called you..." Kagome said as her bare feet alighted on the ground softly. Her wings folded up against her back and she stood braced.

Shippou would have thought the immense weight of those wings would make her fall down, but it didn't. She walked forward, and Kikyou backed away from her presence, looking as if she was struggling to keep the dead souls inside her corpse.

"I called you..." Kagome repeated, kneeling in front of Shippou on one knee. He wanted to pull her to standing, but he couldn't move. In his mind, he called out to Youko, but he knew the fox wouldn't hear. Mind reading wasn't exactly his personal body guard's specialty.

"I, Kagome Lynn Akiko Higurashi, called you to pledge my daughter's allegiance to you, Shippou, King of the Eastern Lands. I called you to dedicate to you her life as a Secret-Keeper..." Her black wing tips were touching the ground, he noticed.

Kikyou was frowning. She was thinking what Shippou was thinking, he had no doubt. Kagome had come into power, somehow. She was no longer useless and in need of protection like she used to be. What happened to her? Why was she so scarred?

"The Kagome I knew would never pledge another's life away." Shippou objected. This couldn't be his Kagome. This was a fake. Kikyou had created this creature to set him off, because she had her own agenda.

Another smile crossed Kagome's face. "The Kagome you knew has changed, Your Majesty. Akari Dekage, stand up... don't be afraid... Mommy is right here..." The child stood up with the help of Kagome and she bobbed a curtsy to Shippou. "If it were not necessary to the flow of time, Your Majesty, I would not give you my daughter no matter who you are. But I met your wife... in the future..."

"My wife?" Shippou took a step back. He had avoided thinking about this for a long time. The only one he wanted for a wife was Rin... "Wait, please don't tell me..."

Kagome laughed again. Her daughter looked at her curiously. "Yes, sweetie..." Kagome said to the silent child and kissed the young girl's forehead. "Mommy is okay." She looked back at Shippou. "Your wife is one of the few who remembers this past. You will not recall this conversation fifty years from now, nor will you remember me. I have seen my future, Your Majesty. It is a sour one indeed. In my past, I have killed, and in my future, I will kill. My end will be today, when Kikyou kills me for my soul..."

Kikyou's fingers gripped her weapon a little firmer, as if Kagome's words were permission. She reached back for an arrow and Shippou barked at Kikyou, "I will kill you if you kill her!"

"She said it herself!" Kohaku said, finally putting in his presence. "Why can't you mortals let the dead stay that way, and the living die when they want to? You're forever trying to bring us to life, but in doing so you commit our bodies to endless torture in hell!"

Shippou was taken aback by these words and did nothing as Kikyou raised the bow, aimed the arrow with a businesslike look on her face. There was a twang sound and Shippou saw with surprise there were two arrows flying through the air. One was behind Kikyou, and the other was behind Kagome. Both of them glowed with the bright white power of purification that resembled the untainted priestess. Both arrows hit both women, and two identically pained screams tore through the air.

Kikyou crumbled and her souls shot into the air, circled once over the spot where Kikyou had been, and then shot away into the distance. Kagome fell onto her hands and knees, breathing heavily. "Thank you, Kikyou..." she whispered. "Finally, we shall both have our peace and you can be mad at me in hell." She clutched her daughter's hand and the two of them disappeared.

**-The Hideout of the Rebellion-**

Hiei had his hands behind his head and was staring at the dull, gray ceiling of the room he had been provided by Mitsuko and Lord Shippou. He thought about the mistakes he had made throughout his life. He had never before felt regret for those things, but now he did. He thought, if Kagome knew...

He looked at his bare arm that had once conjured the Hell Dragon. The black mark the dragon had left coursed all up and down his arm. The dragon's head was resting on the back of his hand. He didn't have to bandage it up with the magical gauze while he was wearing Kagome's rosary.

He had found out that he could remove it if he wanted to, but only for a few minutes. First he started getting a headache, and then it turned into a migraine if he kept it off too long. He hadn't attempted longer than five minutes though, but that was no question why.

The door to his room creaked open and he turned to look at it, already knowing who would be there. "Akari, does Touya know where you are?" She shook her head. He sighed as she motioned herself crawling in his bed to lay by him. "Fine," he was terrible at resisting the child.

She shut the door and skittered across the room, crawling onto his tiny bed. It was hard for her because she was so tiny. He sat up and reached down, picking her up under her armpits and setting her onto the bed. She threw her arms around his neck in a hug. "Okay, what happened now?" He inquired of the child.

He had grown used to her hugging him all the time. A week ago, the first time he had ever allowed her to touch him, a strange thing had happened. She had hugged him, and he felt this eerie feeling, like she was pulling his essence right out of him. When he had pulled away, he saw something that scared him and made him curious at the same time. There was a speckling of ice-blue and fire-red streaks in her hair, and they never went away.

Somehow, he knew after that... she was _his_. No amount of denial would tear this away. Of course Kagome would have a special child, because Kagome was a special woman. He leaned against the wall and pulled her into his lap, running a hand through her hair.

It was amusing, almost. To think that just about two weeks ago he had reached demon maturity and all the change he endured was to grow two and a half feet taller. He had hoped he would be able to see Kagome when she woke, but Touya refused to let Hiei into the room after that first time.

Akari reached in her nightgown pocket for her notepad and the broken pencil, making him glad he knew how to read now. Her penmanship was better than his, which amazed him because she was so young. _Mommy and Touya are fighting again._ She wrote.

He knew that didn't mean a verbal fight. Touya was among the greatest military medics before he had been jutted from the military for reasons that Hiei was unaware of. Akari meant that Touya had taken Kagome to the rehabilitation room and was literally fighting her.

"Akari, you know she's going to kick my ass when she knows you've been talking to me..." Hiei warned the child, who smiled at him knowingly. He assumed that was Akari's plan. Akari reached over to Hiei's bedside table and took his glass of water, drinking from it as if she had every right. He supposed she did...

"Two hands, please." He told the child. What a dull place, he thought. Kagome didn't want to see him, and Touya was only enforcing that. Hiei supposed that was reasonable... he wouldn't want to see himself either. His only reason for not killing himself right now was because Akari still wanted him around.

That was a new feeling too. Before he met Kagome, he had every reason to live. He never questioned himself. He fought demons with the Spirit Detectives, he worked on plans and strategies to beat Yusuke and rule the world, and he merely watched over Yukina.

He didn't care anymore about protecting Yukina. Word on the street was that Kuwabara had that handled. From the last fight he'd had with Kuwabara, Hiei knew she was okay with him and that he could handle himself. He had to let her go, which had been easier than anyone would have thought.

Kagome though... He couldn't let her go no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't make himself forget about her. He'd give anything to have been able to protect her. Those assholes who hurt her and Akari would never have gotten as far as they had if he hadn't been incapacitated at the moment of the attack.

And when they blew up Kagome's home with bombs with all the villagers inside—the villagers who had accepted Hiei after he proved he wasn't there to do harm—that was a low blow.

Akari put the cup back and her pencil and notepad beside it. Then she gave him a wet kiss on the cheek and curled up on his pillow, pulling the white sheet he'd been provided over her tiny body. He lay down again on his side—it wasn't a very big bed, after all—and leaned on one arm.

She was nearly instantly asleep, but he knew sleep would be long in coming for him. He never slept with more than a sheet. He had refused the comforter when it was offered, but he wondered if he should have accepted it for Akari's sake. Then again, how could he have known two weeks ago that Akari would want to sleep with him as though she really were his child?

She looked so much like her mother. That made his heart clench a bit at the thought that he would never, ever see Kagome again. It was odd that his heart would clench, considering he was evil and had no heart... He sighed and looked at the pathetically small room. There was room for a small cot and a bedside table. There was hardly room for the door to open.

And here he was, the scorned Forbidden One, with a child who seemed to look up to him as a parently-figure. Akari didn't believe it was Hiei's fault she had been hurt and violated. In her own words, she had claimed it was "A matter of circumstance". She had written in her notepad, "Daddy would have been there if he could have been."

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**Now I know there are questions as to how Kagome can be in two places at once... but there's an awesome explanation for that. Which I will not tell you. Huh, that's just crazy. This time to get the next chapter, I want lots of reviews--I won't say how many, just to make you nervous--on what you think is going to happen next.**


	186. The Urge To Drink

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Things that I currently am fixated on: my original novel series (on book two now), finding a new job (yeah, I submitted a total of 1 application), pretending I keep up with my fanfiction (got that one covered…), keeping up with the dishes (doesn't always happen), and looking constantly for reviews from Iritwi and Ryutsu (who both disappeared from the face of MY fanfiction world, if not everyone else's).

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Chapter 186: The Urge To Drink

Souta Higurashi absolutely hated his new siblings. When they had come into the picture, he wanted to smash every breakable item in the house. He had even gotten permission from his mother to do just that, but she had said if he broke something he needed to put it back together as well. So he was stuck with his rage that only continued to grow after his mother married that fool Naraku Akira.

What would Kagome say if she knew that their mother had married someone named Naraku? He often wondered whether it was possible that Kagome had forgotten about her quest in the past, because she never came back. She disappeared five years ago, and he blamed Naomi for that. If she hadn't chased Kagome away, Souta would still have his sister to look up to.

The two twins were rolling around on the floor, wrestling. Souta couldn't stand it. He got up and went out behind the house, taking a pack of cigarettes from his deep pockets and lighting up. He got slapped every time he was found smoking, but it somehow eased the urge to pulp the twins, his new father, and his mother.

As he was patting the cigarette out in the dirt, burying the butt beneath the grass, he saw his mother looking rather suspicious, sneaking toward the well house as if worried she might be seen. He ducked out of sight behind the rain barrel and watched her for a minute before following. There was a small tree behind the well house, and he climbed it to peer in through the upper windows.

"What the hell is she doing?" he asked himself, walking along the large branch while his hands hung onto the branch above for stability. Now that Haru and Sheena were a part of the family, Souta got hand-me-downs from Haru. His shoes were worn and unreliable. He'd gotten a job, slightly under the law, but hadn't made much with it yet.

From where he was, he could just barely see into the lip of the well, and Naomi was poking her head down into it as if expecting someone to appear. He felt betrayed for a moment as he saw Kagome's head pop out of the well. She was climbing the ladder, with black feathers falling off her back like dead leaves from a tree in the autumn winds.

"Kagome?" he gulped. What had she done to herself? Never once had she come to see him, or even cared he existed it seemed, for the past five years.

"Honey," Naomi started as Kagome flipped herself effortlessly over the lip of the well, her body completely visible to Souta from his vantage point. She had a nice rack, he had to admit. "How did things go over there?" Naomi handed a carefully folded set of clothes to Kagome. The wings seemed to break away, the feathers falling to the ground like they were useless.

"Surprisingly well," Kagome said, chuckling. Her voice began to change, and Souta noticed something else. Her image was fading away, melting as if she were butter in a hot pan. What was left over was Naraku Akira. It was like… well, the only term Souta could think to describe it was magic. It was like _magic._

"You're being vague." Naomi drawled as her husband got dressed and Souta raged. They hadn't even told Souta that he had magic? Was Souta the only one in the family without magical powers? And grandpa didn't count, because he was old and useless anyway. They had finally admitted him to an old folk's home last year.

"I gave Akari to His Majesty, and sent Kikyou straight to hell, just as the timeline says happens. I almost thought for a while that Kagome was the one who did it, but Rin said if it didn't get done, she wouldn't be revived and thus, my existence becomes inconsequential."

"Well, at least someone did it. Have you checked up on Kagome recently?" Naomi kissed Naraku's cheek fondly. "I poked in on her while she was asleep last night."

"No, I haven't. You know she'll want to kill me if she sees me. She still remembers me as the one from her past who constantly tried to kill her." Naraku shook his head for a second. Souta's knuckles had turned white from gripping the branch above him so tightly. He was sure there would be bark imprints on his palms forever if he held it much tighter.

"Well, I think you should. She's usually asleep around nine thirty, so go tonight. Promise me."

Naraku sighed. "Fine, love. I will go see her. Where's the entrance?"

"It's behind the bookshelf door in the basement."

"And the password is?"

"The password for the remote in the black book is N5J42WAT."

"Where's her room?"

"Honey, why are you asking these questions? You sound like you're saying it for someone else's benefit." Naomi began looking around as if searching for someone else. Souta slipped back down the tree before she noticed him and raced for the house. He didn't care if he was tracking dirt throughout the inner sanctum.

His destination was the basement. The entire basement had always been an archive of old spiritual tombs and ritual related accessories. There were also a number of old boxes filled with stupid knickknacks that grandpa just had to have but never actually sold like he intended to do.

Whatever Naraku's reasoning behind asking those questions, Souta didn't care. If Kagome had actually been so close all this time, it made him want to kick Naomi and Naraku and Haru and Sheena even more for hiding Kagome. He kept repeating the password in his head, over and over.

It was difficult to find the shelf they were talking about, but finally there was one that was about door size with a very tiny space between it and the shelves next to it. There was also only one black book on this shelf, while the others had multiple black bound books. For some reason, his heart was racing as he reached for that book and pulled it off the shelf.

"Kagome, I can't believe you've been so close this whole time." He whispered, running a hand through his raven hair. He grasped the book and opened it up. It was hollow inside and indeed had a keypad in it like a remote. N5J42WAT. Enter. He was startled out of place when he heard a popping sound.

The wall had unlocked and was leaning. He pushed it open, replacing the black book. Just as he shut the door behind him, he heard his mother's voice drifting. "Naraku, I don't want him getting involved in this! Why did you do that?"

"The boy has the right to know what is going on with his sister," Naraku insisted. "Come on, Naomi. You can't hide these things from him forever, and he's not a child anymore."

Souta stopped listening. He turned to look at the dimly lit space he had entered. He could just barely make out a door handle in front of him. He opened that door and was instantly grabbed by a big, rather beefy ogre who took him by the throat and shoved him up against the wall.

"State yer business!" the ogre demanded, and he finally realized what all those voices were that he used to hear at night coming from the basement. There _were_ people in the basement, though his mother had always assured him that there was no such thing as ghosts. He hadn't been imagining those voices, they were real.

Down at the end of the room, several blue ogres were playing a game of poker, smoking cigars or cigarettes, and drinking a bottle of hard Russian rum, though they didn't look drunk at all. There was a large pile of coins on the table.

Souta wasn't about to let this guy handle him so roughly, but the chances that he could overcome all these ogres didn't seem likely. He yanked the switchblade from his belt under the baggy red shirt he wore and snapped it open, jamming the blade into the demon's arm. It was highly unlikely that he'd be able to press charges, considering if he went above ground with _that_ ugly mug, the demon would be taken in for (likely) scientific testing.

"Grawr!" the demon yelled in pain as Souta twisted the blade until he was dropped on the floor. He stood up quickly and held the blade out in defense.

The poker playing ogres merely put their cigars and drinks down and stood up, unsheathing swords, axes, and clubs as they did so. "What're yeh gonna do with that, kid?" asked one as the one Souta had stabbed backed away to nurse his pained wound. "Yer no match for us. Practically a babe in the crib."

His eyes wandered back and forth, left and right, searching for an escape other than the way he came in. He wasn't leaving until he found Kagome. There was a drive inside him that made him need to see her. There was a vent on the floor about five feet away from him, which gave him an idea. He looked up; what he sought was there.

A large ventilation shaft was near the ceiling, just above their poker table, and it had no grate. It was large enough that he'd be able to fit inside it, but too small for their giant figures. He feigned a dart for the door, like in basketball where he'd feign going left but instead would swivel right. Sidestepping the demons as they raced to block the door—like stupid ogres he thought—he used the chair as a step, launched onto the table, and vaulted into the vent shaft.

"Ha! Losers." He laughed as he continued down the shaft.

He was met with an obstacle, the reason why none of the 'idiot' ogres had stopped to guard the vent shaft. A fan with giant metal blades spun in here, ones that would cut him to bits if he were to try to go through. His shoes weren't tough enough to stop the blades. It just cut right through both of them. He folded his switchblade up and stuck that in the way of the fan.

It worked and he slipped through. His blade was stuck there, so he left that. He crawled on down the shaft, peering into rooms through the grates, hoping for a glimpse of Kagome. He saw many things; he never would have believed that his basement was so huge. It was like he was climbing down into the bowels of the earth, just to see what he was seeing.

One thing he saw shocked him and made him begin kicking at the grate to enter the room below. The grate shot off, but the shaky occupant had darted out of the room, his door smacking against the wall with a clatter. Souta gulped; what would Kagome look like when he found her? Would it be like the image that Naraku had taken?

Some of the ogres from the entrance room rushed into the room. "Time to go," he continued on in the vent shaft, surprised they didn't just try to skewer him through the vent by whipping their weapons. Wasn't that how things happened in freaky organizations when an outsider got in? It was in the movies…

"This isn't the movies," he reminded himself. The vent broke off three ways: left, right, and straight ahead. He went left.

**-Elsewhere- **

Kagome was sweating profusely as Touya forced her to go one last time up on the balance beam. It was impossible; she kept telling herself as the wings dragged on her lungs. Touya would not accept 'no' for an answer. She had no other option but to succeed and walk on her own, or Touya would deny her food, drink, and the chance to see Akari.

It was mostly the need to see Akari that drove Kagome to do the impossible. She wouldn't be defeated; not if it meant that Touya would say she was an unfit mother. The very thought sent shivers up and down her spine in a way she never wanted to feel.

"The wings can fold surprisingly tight," Touya said as he drank from a small flask that he kept in his shirt. He never drank from anything else, she had noticed. "They're called the Black Wings because there are none like it on any creature except those cursed with them." He wiped his lips.

She wobbled on the balance beam, though Touya stood easily at the other end, a smile on his lips. Her breath came in pants and she swore Touya would be the end of her. He was like a bane to her existence. "My lungs are burning." She told Touya, but he pointedly ignored her complaint.

"They form to you, like personality. You can gain muscle and fold them around you like a bat's wings. They are you, and you are them. Once you're cursed, there is no cure. You deal with it accordingly; do what you have to in order to survive. Now, attack me one last time and we can retire for the evening."

"Easy for you to say," Kagome muttered as she dragged herself across the beam toward him. She had a sword in her hand and swung it at him clumsily, but he blocked it with a shield of ice that he conjured out of no where and kicked her in the chest, knocking her off the three foot beam.

Her chest really burned—really, what idiot kicks a woman's breasts? It was as low as kicking a man in his unhappy area—but her wings seemed to act of their own free will. They began flapping; creating gusts of wind that cooled her momentarily, and slowed her descent, though not by much. She still crashed to the mat, her wings flattening out instinctively so they wouldn't break.

Touya jumped down onto the mat and walked over to her. "You've done fairly well today." He said. "But you lack the courage to fight properly. I know you can do it. The monster inside you knows it. Bind yourself to that monster and tame it, or these wings will kill you." He held a hand down to her and she took it.

Huffing slightly, she let him go. "Do you know what that monster wants me to do?" she demanded of Touya, who raised one eyebrow at her.

"Of course I do." He shrugged. "Big deal. Just do it."

"How would you _know_ what it wants?" She growled. "What do you know of it?"

He smiled eerily, his eyes glinting dangerously. The fangs in his mouth were abnormally long, even for a demon. "Because," he whispered, licking his lips. "Why do you think I was kicked out of the military? I was one of the best medics, and I was in line to be Medic Orce's successor, but what do you think happened?"

He took a swig of that flask again and brushed past her. "When Orce let me go, I joined a group of bandits, and from there became a ninja with a single specialty: death. The monster's hunger is your own, Kagome Higurashi. Accept it, because it has accepted you. If it hadn't, you'd never have gotten this far. You would have gone mad before now, and killed or been killed. Deal with what Fate gave you with dignity."

He left the training room, and her. He didn't know what he was saying, she thought to herself. He had practically admitted to having the same curse that she did, and she knew who gave it to her. It was the one who had bitten her, when Ryuichi had saved her and they had fallen into the Snake River. The monster inside her called for her to drink, but she ignored it.

That had to be what Touya drank from his flask. It was revolting to think about, but it seemed true. Touya was drinking blood. But where were the wings? If he was cursed, where were his wings? Did it affect demons differently?

Tired of standing there debating the issue in her head, she too left the training room and headed for her room. She went to kiss Akari goodnight, but saw that her baby girl was not in her crib or Kagome's bed, so she turned heel and made her way toward Hiei's room.

This was the third night this week. Akari knew what Kagome's feelings were about Hiei. Kagome had said in no uncertain terms that Akari was _not_ to associate herself with Hiei, because he was a very bad man who had very bad thoughts.

Obviously Akari was not prepared to listen.

Three knocks on the door got her an answer. She might have been furious at the moment, but she wasn't going to barge in. If Akari was awake and standing by the door, Kagome would just end up hurting her daughter. "Coming," she heard Hiei's voice say softly, as if not to wake a sleeping child. Fatherly sounding, Kagome couldn't help but be aware.

Seconds later the door cracked open and she was looking into the face of Hiei. He immediately opened the door for her and stepped aside so she could enter the small, confined space. Her room was far more spacious than his. His was more like a tiny prison cell, with merely a ragged cot. Akari was sleeping on that ragged cot, and she had scooted over into his vacated spot for the warmth that remained.

"You were told to stay away from her," she snapped at him quietly, feeling a fire burning viciously inside her, wanting to rage out of control. "If you thought I was joking, I wasn't!"

"I've taken you very seriously." He whispered, as if the words hurt him to say. "But what do you tell her? I barely leave this room; I have no reason to. She comes to find me, and I won't turn her down. I betrayed you both once. I won't let that happen again."

"I'm sure," Kagome snapped, feeling the feathers on her wings rustle. "Once a thief, always a thief." She quoted. "You won't change; people like you don't change."

He looked furious at her words, as if they stung far too much to accept. "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded. "Are you suggesting that mixed breeds like me, the hybrids, are born vile and disgusting and cruel?"

"It has nothing to do with your elements," she sneered, hating him more for even thinking she would be so callous. "Its how you just let us be taken like that. Do you know what they did to us? What they did to _her?"_ Kagome pointed at Akari. Though she kept her voice low, Akari was beginning to stir. She would turn over, cover herself up, and then uncover, as if she couldn't make up her unconscious mind whether or not she was hot or cold.

"I know what they do, Kagome. I spent twelve years in that prison at the order of Prince Inuyasha. All that they did to you, they did to me—double. I know exactly what helplessness is, when they put that collar around your neck to suppress your powers so that you can't use your magic to get out and there's too many of those perverts there to use any physical strength."

She winced as Hiei backed her out of the room, closing the door behind him without bothering to look. He was taller than her for some reason, she noticed. He was much taller than her; by a foot and a half at least. It wasn't exactly intimidating as much as it was confusing.

"I know that they feed you rotten food and force you to drink urine instead of water. I know that to survive even a little while in those dungeons, you have to find one single hope to cling to, and that the guards try to exploit that hope." His eyes burned with untamed fury, confusion, and pain. He'd barreled this up for a long time.

"I know that they slice you open, take you apart, shove all your insides back in, and sew you back up like you're a practice doll in a medical school. I know they shove burning rods up your anus and rip out whatever burns to it, then let you bleed to death. I know that to survive hunger, you have to learn to be extremely fast in a weakened state in order to catch the rats and mice who carry the plague."

"You might know what happened to us," she growled up at him, "but you let it happen."

He was pressing her against the wall opposite his door. Her wings flattened so they wouldn't snap; she was blocked in between his two arms, one on either side of him. "When I got back to the mansion, my body began seizing up. At first I thought I had been poisoned. Then all I could do was pray for an end to the pain."

"Why would _you_ be poisoned? Everyone cared for you. They accepted you, just as I had until I found out you were a backstabbing prick." Kagome spat. She wanted to shove him away, but the day had been too exhausting. Touya had pushed her too much.

"A medic who later found me among the rubble that is now your mansion explained in my delirium I tried to kill several people," Hiei continued in that low growl, his face just inches from her's, "but it was a normal reaction for someone who was just reaching demon maturity. At the moment you were being taken away, I was losing my childish body, and gaining my adult body. In a way, I suffered just as much as you did. Now do you want to continue blaming me for something I couldn't control?"

"You control every other aspect about yourself, don't you? You hate not being in control of situations so why wouldn't you be able to control this one?"

He sighed deeply. "If I had my way, I would have been there. Unfortunately, Fate doesn't like me, and I rarely get what I want."

"Then what, pray tell, _do_ you want?" she demanded, surprised at how alike she sounded to Sesshoumaru.

He looked at her with disbelieving eyes for a moment, then opened his mouth to speak, and closed it again just as quickly. He looked back at the door that led into his room. "I want you to be happy, and I want her," he meant Akari, she assumed, "to lead a life free from fear." And I want to be with you, he added silently. "If your happiness and her fear-free life means that I have to die, just give me the word and I'll gladly leave this world without regrets."

She scowled at him. "Don't be stupid." She snapped. "I want you alive so that you can suffer, because I am a vengeful human. We find peace in death; so live and suffer. And stay away from my daughter. I don't give a damn if she's yours now too. Just stay away from her."

Hiei knew it wasn't her speaking. At least, he hoped so anyway. He hoped she was just tired and didn't mean it. "There is no where for me to go to stay away from her," he told her. "I am not allowed to leave, and she will find me. You know how she has been since she was just a baby, crawling around on the ground."

Tears slipped past Kagome's eyes. She wanted to collapse, she was just so tired. "Come on, I'll help you to your room." He pulled her arms around his shoulders and put one arm underneath her knees, carefully lifting her. The wings made carrying her difficult and added plenty of extra weight. She didn't fight him, but she wanted to.

"This doesn't redeem you," she whispered as they approached her room. He let himself in and carried her to the bed, laying her down. Shamefully, though she hated him for it even more, she desired his company. Or at least _some_ company, and his was the closest to be offered. She would cruelly exploit the love she knew he had for her to get what she wanted. She was human.

"I know." He assured her, sounding morose. "You hate me." He was about to release her against the soft mattress, but she twined her fingers in his hair and pulled his lips to hers. "Ka—" was all he could manage before he gave into passion and desire and leaned in to the kiss. The door shut with a quiet click as her magic brushed it gently.

**-Elsewhere- **

Up in the vent shaft, Souta wasn't having the easiest time navigating the halls. So far he was sure he had gone in circles at least three different times. But now he was back on track. He had passed a room with a lot of fighting equipment in it, and a room with a tiny girl sleeping in a tiny cot.

When he found Kagome, he had expected to see her sleeping as well. Most of the people he'd seen so far were all sleeping, so he guessed now was their bedtime even though it was daytime up above. He hadn't expected to see her making out with a demon. Admittedly Souta was a pervert and had settled down to watch the show, even if it was his sister down there.

But the show had ended when the demon sat up abruptly, as if he were pulling away from Kagome. He was breathing heavily, and his face was as red as his eyes. "You don't want this." He stated bluntly.

"But you do." Kagome pointed out, sitting up as much as the wings on her back would allow. The demon jumped away from her as if she were a raging fire of hormones which she probably was.

"I don't know what I want, so don't tell me." The demon growled. "You want me to suffer; I get that. But don't toy with me, Kagome. I'm not your bitch. Why don't you call in your _brother_ for that? I'm sure he'd love it."

At first Souta thought the demon was talking about him but that was cleared up. "Hey, don't talk about Sesshoumaru like that."

"Then stop playing with me. This isn't a game, Kagome. I'll admit my feelings for you aren't something I've ever felt for anyone else. I couldn't be there because I was dead, Kagome. Dead. A nurse freaked out and killed me, and Lady Rin had to bring my soul back into my body. She said I had a purpose. But if this is my purpose, I'm better off dead anyway." He left the room, but had enough control not to slam the door.

Lady Rin… wasn't that who Naraku had mentioned? He had said 'Rin' but could it be the same person? Souta wondered…

The door shut with a gentle click and Kagome lay down again. Souta saw she was silent for a moment, but then suddenly she burst into tears. "Damn it," Kagome swore. "Why do I still hate him? Why, if I know why he couldn't save me, why?"

Souta wanted to make his presence known to Kagome, but a careful knock at the door stopped him from kicking the vent cap off. "Lady Kagome?" called a quiet feminine voice.

Kagome hastily wiped her eyes and tried to make it look as if she hadn't just spent the past five minutes crying. "Yes?" she called out as she sat up again, bracing her back against the wall. "Yes, I'm here."

The door cracked open. "Lady Kagome, how are you feeling?" asked the petite girl who entered. She didn't look much older than Souta's eighteen years, but there was something different about her. Her brown eyes were the same shade that Souta's were, the same color that he remembered Kagome's being before whatever insane transformation had given her those tattoos that adorned her cheeks and eyes and wrists.

"Ah," Kagome smiled as if her face had never seen a frown. The adjustment surprised Souta. He would never be able to do that. If he was ticked off by someone, he wasn't going to stop until he smashed some heads into a few brick walls. Sure, it meant quite a few problems at school, but he'd only gotten suspended for it. "Thank you, Lady Rin. I'm fine."

The girl, Lady Rin, chuckled lightly as she closed the door behind her and entered the room. She moved over and leaned against the dresser. "Of course you are. A secret-keeper always is."

"Lady Rin," Kagome kept that smile firmly in place. "Was there something you required of me?"

Lady Rin laughed again. "There is no room for argument, is there? Can I not come for a polite conversation, merely a discussion between ladies?"

"If you wanted that," Kagome said, shifting her wings comfortably, "you would have spoke of it during lunch today with Mitsuko and Akari. But you wanted me alone, didn't you?"

Lady Rin nodded. "I did." She reached into her dressing gown pocket and pulled out a small jar. Inside it were shards to the jewel that Kagome always collected. "These were found in the remains of your mansion. The local blacksmith insisted that I deliver them to you personally."

"Thank you," Kagome said, reaching out to take them. Souta wasn't sure what it was that Kagome saw the instant the two women's hands brushed, but he knew it wasn't something natural. "Your eyes…" she whispered.

"Yes," Lady Rin smiled grimly. "It's easier for me to maintain a single color because I don't know very many secrets. The more secrets you learn, the more violently your eyes will shift colors. It is the will of the Spectrum Eyes. It is the will of the Secret-Keeper, which is what you are, Kagome."

Lady Rin turned to leave the room. Kagome inquired, "Are you the real Rin?"

The girl looked back at Kagome and smiled the same smile that Kagome had given her. As if nothing was ever wrong. "I am." She said simply. "Remember that room I showed you in your dreams? Can you go back and find it? I left something important for you to find there, something you must deliver to your father." She left without waiting for an answer.

Kagome wanted to protest. She wanted to tell Lady Rin that her father was dead. But she wasn't given that chance.

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**As requested, I have brought you a much longer chapter. But since I did this... I'm not gonna update until I get however many reviews I feel like getting, and I won't tell you how many I want just so you are nervous.**


	187. Akari in the Well

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Things that I currently am fixated on: reading manga, being lazy, working FT, attempting to get a new job, writing stories both fanfics and original, dishes, housekeeping, college, searching for reviews from my favorite reviewers (especially Jesi!)

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Chapter 187: Akari in the Well

**-In the Hideout of the Rebellion- **

Akari woke up feeling like the room she was in was far too warm for her to stay in. When she noticed that Daddy wasn't in the room with her, she felt like crying but stifled it just in time. It wouldn't do to have Mommy coming and seeing her cry, after all. Mommy would just be silly and blame Daddy for Akari's tears.

'Daddy's probably with Mommy,' she thought as she pushed the sheet off of her body and climbed off the small cot. She reached up to the bedside table for her notepad and the broken pencil and as she did she accidentally bumped Daddy's glass of water.

It was taken by gravity and fell to the floor, shattering upon impact, water splashing up on the feet of the young child and that of the table and bed. Her lips formed a little 'o' as she looked at the broken glass. She bent down to try to pick up the broken shards, looking around the room in hopes that no one had seen the accident.

When she saw that no one had she grabbed one of the larger slivers of glass and immediately dropped it again, her hand stinging and blood on the sharp edges of the shard. She sniffed, wanting to cry because the glass had given her an owie.

Instead, she cradled her palm against her white nightgown and went in search of Mommy or Daddy, because they would know what to do to make her owie go away. Mommy especially would, because Mommy was smart. When the scary, bad men took Akari and Mommy away from Daddy, Mommy made all the hurts that the bad men gave Akari go away.

"Oh, just who I was looking for." Akari heard someone say. The big place that Mommy, Daddy, and Akari were living in now had lots of people in it. It was more than just Auntie Datii and meanie-Miho and Uncle Chu and sometimes Auntie Keiko and sometimes Uncle S and Daddy and Mommy and Akari. Now there were so many people that Akari felt scared around most of them.

Mostly it was the grown-ups that scared Akari. There were other children in the big place and she tried to get along with them, but they teased her because she wouldn't talk. She knew it was silly to be afraid of the gruff-faced ogres that wandered around or the tall, makeup-faced women—mostly what Daddy called 'youkai' or 'demons' and followed it with the bold statement of, "Idiots like them are weak."

Akari liked Lady Mitsuko. She was really nice and she taught Akari to fight so she could defend herself and Mommy and Daddy against mean people. Mommy had argued with Lady Mitsuko about that because Mommy didn't want Akari to have to fight or to 'Live my life' as Mommy had put it.

Lady Mitsuko had then talked really quietly with Mommy so that Akari couldn't hear and Mommy looked sad afterwards, but she agreed to let Lady Mitsuko teach Akari. And Lady Rin was nice too. Lord Shippou scared Akari though, but not Uncle Touya. He always made time to play tea-party with Akari and Mommy.

She turned around to look and see who was there. Akari wasn't expecting to see nothing. She had expected to see one of the tall, beefy-like men who were always around, but since it was late at night almost everyone was in bed, like Akari should be. Mommy would scold her for not being in bed and ask if she wanted to be read a story, and Daddy would sigh and ask if she was too hot or too cold as if he knew she couldn't ever get comfortable in her own skin.

Akari looked at her hand again and thought, 'Daddy told me that people who lose lots of blood start to see things that aren't there. I should really find Mommy or Daddy quick before I die.' She turned around to start walking toward Mommy's room again but everything went dark as suddenly a brown burlap sack was thrust over her small head and body.

She struggled, kicking at the person who had picked her up, wishing she could scream and trying to do so but as usual her voice wouldn't work like she wanted it to. She was slung over a deep, broad shoulder and she knew she was being carried away from what was good.

'Daddy! Mommy!' she cried in her mind, willing them to hear her. 'It's happening again! The bad men are taking me away! Help me!' They didn't respond, but she knew it wasn't their fault. It was her fault for not being smart enough. It was her fault for being so little when all the other kids her age were twice her size.

She kept struggling, and she heard some other people talking. "Chazi an' th' udders mustta caught th' rat by now, eh?" She didn't know who it was speaking, but she knew it wasn't Daddy, or Mommy, or anyone she knew.

'I want my dolly!' she felt tears escape her eyes. 'I want my Daddy and Mommy. I promise I will never disobey Mommy or Daddy. Just let me go, you bully!' Her assailant didn't hear her, but she supposed she didn't have high hopes that they would.

"What'cha got there, Momo?" said another voice.

She felt the one holding her shrug. "If that were of your concern, I should think I would have told you lowlifes about it already." There was the sound of a door opening and closing, and then another door opening and closing.

Akari felt like she was being suffocated in the burlap sack. Her skin was too hot in her nightgown and her hand still hurt. She felt like she was rising, like the person she was fighting to get away from was climbing steps.

Then after a few more doors had opened and then closed, she heard the silence of the outside, of the night. Cars hummed in the distance. A church bell called the midnight hour somewhere far away. After one last door opened, she felt the person carrying her had thrown the sack she was in, thus her as well, and she was falling down.

She struggled to get out of the sack and hopefully land on her feet like Lady Mitsuko had taught her. But now to surprise her, all she saw was blue streamers of light mixed in with silver stars and green streamers and purple and pink stars.

Then everything was dark again, but not too dark. Whatever magical force had created the pretty lights had set her on her feet at the bottom of what appeared to be a deep shaft. Now her skin felt like icicles were forming on it. She looked up the shaft and decided it would be better if she just sat down and waited for Mommy and Daddy to find her.

Using the burlap sack as a blanket, she wrapped herself up in it, sniffling. She clutched her hand in her nightgown. 'Mommy…' she thought. 'Daddy…' And she didn't even have her dolls there to comfort her, or her favorite blanky, or her notepad and pencil.

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**This chapter brought to you by: Cheeseups! The cheesy, flavor packed cheese nip for all your party needs! That's just crazy... but sexy crazy! Haha!**


	188. Kagome and the Monster

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I got an "A" in Publisher, and next semester will take a Business Law class. I'm really excited about that one (sarcasm not involved) because, I don't know… it just interests me! _

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Chapter 188: Kagome and the Monster

**-Modern Day-**

Kagome lay back on her bed when Lady Rin had shut the door behind her. For a moment she thought she heard some shuffling in the vent on the east wall, but then a knock on the door took her attention. She thought it was Lady Rin again and knew it was going to take some time to get used to the fact that Rin had somehow managed to live well over 500 years from when she likely should have died.

"Did you need something else, Lady Rin?" she called out.

The door creaked open without the person saying anything. Kagome thought, if that was really my Rin, then couldn't 'Lord Shippou' be my Shippou? Footsteps walked close to the bed in haste. She lifted her head and saw Momo, Rin's attendant.

"Oh, Momo, what is it?" she inquired, but Momo just gave her a blank stare, stopping at the edge of the bed. The man reached down and grasped his fingers around Kagome's neck firmly, as if attempting to strangle her. Kagome screamed in surprise, but no sound came out; her airway was being blocked off.

Thump, thump, thump. That noisy sound, was it her heart or some outside source? It could be either, she realized. Why was Momo doing this? Thump, thump, crash. Something smashed into the side of the crib that Akari was supposed to be in.

"—Kagome! Let go of her now!" screamed an unfamiliar voice nearby.

Momo said, "No. It is Her Majesty's will." Kagome's vision was fading. She saw only Momo's dangerously cruel features as they seemed to blend and melt together. "Long live Her Majesty. Long live Her Majesty!" Momo shrieked, laughing.

'I'm going to die here,' Kagome thought. 'I thought… I thought Momo was a good person. I thought Momo wasn't cruel. I thought… I thought we were safe, me and Akari.' She felt her eyes stop swirling, and heard an insane whisper in her mind.

_'Kagome, let me lead you… Let me lead you down the path… I will show you the way… Follow me…'_ It was the monster inside of her, she knew. It was the demon, the curse, the creature that wanted her to drink blood. It was the reason she had wings, though humans weren't supposed to.

"I, I won't," she wheezed even as all she could see was red like blood. She cut her lip on a growing fang and lapped at the blood. Her fingernails dug into Momo's wrist and became as sharp as blades, biting deep.

Still, Momo laughed and never loosened his grip. Whoever else was in the room—Kagome couldn't see them or recognize their voice—seemed to be attacking Momo, for he laughed cruelly. "Your vain attempts are childish! Her Majesty gives me the strength to kill you all!"

Kagome resisted the monster inside her and heard it laugh. It was enjoying her struggle, but it was also winning. Her swirling spectrum eyes stopped on a vicious blood-red color, not the cold crimson they normally stopped on if she was angry.

As suddenly as she could blink an eye, she felt herself thrown, but not physically. Her spirit was thrown into the back of her mind and the monster—who she had so refused to become one with—took over her body. She watched as the monster brutally clawed off Momo's hands and her body was bathed in the blood that sprayed everywhere.

Momo laughed as he stared at his handless arms. "Her Majesty knows I need no hands to kill you all!" He brought his leg up and slammed it down onto Kagome's stomach. She didn't feel the pain since she wasn't in control of her body but she knew if she regained control she would feel that for weeks. She even thought she heard a rib break.

The monster grabbed Momo's leg using Kagome's arm and twisted it powerfully, using strength that Kagome would never have been able to muster. The sucking and ripping sound as the bone popped out of socket with Momo's hip and the skin tore was disgusting. Momo fell, unable to stand.

The monster sat up in blood and body parts, licking blood from herself as if it were her body not Kagome's. Kagome tried to regain control, but it made the monster laugh with Kagome's voice as it crawled from the bed and onto Momo's screaming, hysterical body.

"HeR mAjEsTy KnOwS!" Momo laughed. "ShE kNoWs!"

Kagome tried to stop the monster again. It bared its fangs and crawled upon Momo's fallen body, then dug greedily into Momo's neck, not just drinking the blood, but eating the flesh that tore away as well. People slammed into the room. Kagome felt their presences more than she could see them. Touya was there, Hiei, Mitsuko, and the stranger who had been in there from when Momo first came.

'Stop me!' she begged silently of them all. She felt the disgust coming from them, but Touya said, "Don't attempt to stop this. She'll only become enraged. She will be sated."

Momo's screaming died down and he fell unconscious before he was dead. The monster looked up at the others, laughing wickedly before flapping Kagome's wings powerfully. It used Kagome's body to escape, used Kagome's untrained priestess power to leave. Kagome was crying on the inside, trying to regain control. What if Akari saw her like this, bathed in blood, a life on her hands?

_'You promised to take the world with you when you died,' _the monster told her. _'Don't back out on me now. You gave birth to me. Join me, become one with me, and I will make you powerful.'_

"NEVER!" she screamed at it, even as she felt exhilaration at flying like no human had done before. "I will NEVER be like you, or give in! You will always remain a monster!"

She burst out of the roof of a building and saw she was circling above the shrine she had grown up in. She could feel the well very close. It called to her, beckoning to her to join the other world. The monster kept flying her higher and higher. Soon the clouds were touching and wrapping around her body. Soon she saw nothing but stars and the earth very far below and wondered how she was so high up and still breathing—still alive.

The monster held her there, hovering with powerful beats of wings. She could feel it laughing at her, smirking as if it had won. _'Akari Dekage means so much to you, doesn't she?'_ the monster asked. _'Akari Dekage, your second daughter if I am your first.'_

It laughed and she didn't like where it was going, or what she thought it was trying to say. "Are you threatening me?" she demanded of it.

_'I can and will take you away from her if you don't become one with me. Think about that. I'll give you until we hit ground to make up your mind.'_ It took her body and sped toward earth. Her flesh felt like it was on fire at one point and she realized that it was. She was going so fast that the friction of the wind had turned her body on fire.

She saw her life flashing before her eyes, like when she was drowning five years ago. She saw her mother, her brother, her grandfather, her father's blurred face. She saw Yusuke, Hojou, Kurama, Sheena and Haru. She saw Sesshoumaru crying, Inuyasha yelling at her, Keiko helping her with Akari, Chu getting her breakfast, and Touya helping her with rehabilitation.

Ryuichi and Sango were making love. Miroku was teaching Shippou bad habits. Rin and Kirara were playing tricks on Jaken and Ah-Uhn, Hikkaku and Ginta were chasing after the speedy Kouga, Seirra was teaching her gymnastics. Hiei was running away from Akari Dekage's hugs. Akari Dekage was studying again. Hiei was admitting his love for Kagome, apologizing for her being taken.

How could she have told him she hated him? She didn't… not really.

Hiei picked on her for being clumsy. Hiei cried over the loss of his mother and father. Hiei gave her a kerchief when she busted her hand open after punching a wall. Hiei was in her dreams as she looked down on Sesshoumaru's castle in the rain. Hiei danced with her on the roof—albeit grudgingly. Hiei followed her secretly as she snuck out of the mansion into the Demon World. Hiei had a special present made for Akari and argued with Kagome to let Akari learn self-defense. Hiei… Hiei made her drop her lunch.

"HE OWES ME A LUNCH!" she yelled at the monster in her, but it was gone. All that was left was her, and she could feel the fire burning her flesh. She felt like she had been choked and like she had a few broken ribs. She was falling into Tokyo, but as if it were dissolving, Tokyo disappeared and trees were left in its place, with a small hut the only place for miles. The fire died out and the trees caught her, smashing her down toward the ground.

She felt completely broken and the ground smashed around her. "I don't know…" she muttered to herself, "why I didn't do this sooner." She laughed bitterly. Only now realizing which Hiei she loved, the one who danced with her or the one who abandoned her, she had to ask herself something. What did she do to him to make him so angry that he would abandon her? What did she do to him that made him end up dying the day she was taken away?

Why did he leave her in the village in the first place? What made him go back to the mansion?

She'd teased him… She'd known he was afraid of Akari touching him, and that Akari made it a game to catch him. He'd rushed away as fast as he could then, when she called Akari over. It was her fault he didn't know about what happened in the village until it was too late.

She shouldn't have blamed him. She needed to apologize.

**-Modern Day- **

The destruction Kagome had left in her wake was mind numbing. Hiei wanted to follow her, but Touya wouldn't let him. He insisted, "She has to work this out."

Mitsuko stepped around the rubble to look at the dead man Kagome had left behind. "It's…Momo." She frowned. "This can only mean one thing. Touya, go topside and get Naraku Akira. Tell him Mitsuko requests his presence immediately."

The strange boy who'd been in the room earlier demanded hotly, "What the hell's happened to my sister? What've you bastards done to her?"

"Oh, dear…" said a new voice. Hiei turned and looked at the speaker.

The boy hissed, "Naraku…" as if it were a swear.

"Mitsuko, the timeline is going faster than any of us had anticipated." Naraku stated. He looked at the holes that went straight to the night sky. "King Enma and Queen Chieko will battle very soon, and the Guardian of the Barrier will then open a gap between the Human and Demon Realms."

'What's going on here?' Hiei thought, confused.

Mitsuko jerked her thumb at the boy. "Isn't he yours? What do you want to do with him?"

Naraku scratched the back of his neck. "Souta, your sister will be fine…I believe it's time we had a little talk." He tilted his head toward the door leading to the hallway. "If you'll follow me?" The boy growled, but followed warily.

**-Inside the Barrier- **

"Ow…" she moaned as it seemed even her feathers and hair ached. How they weren't burned off, she wasn't sure. Her flesh was seared in some places, just like it was scarred in other places. She was marred, ugly. How could Hiei still love her even then? No, he'd take one look at her—if he didn't hate her already—and be disgusted. He wouldn't love her, or even want to be her friend anymore.

For the first time in her life, the sky opened up and grieved her misery as if attempting to uplift her spirit through the use of the rain.

The rain pelted her, making her cry out in agony but ignoring her all the same. Every droplet felt like a brick smashing into her. Then, the very familiar face of Miroku came into her line of vision. The griffon she remembered seeing so long ago a few days before Akari's first birthday screeched just in her peripheral sight.

"I know, Rainie." Miroku said, his tone very weary. He looked at her. "Kagome, it's been a long time… How are you feeling?"

She wanted to glare at him, but barely had the energy to speak. "Are you… joking?" she asked him.

"Like shit, then," he guessed. He leaned close to her and pressed his lips softly to hers. She almost thought she was being taken advantage of for a moment, and then realized she was. However, his hand was over her heart, not on her breast.

A cooling sensation washed over her and she felt her body begin mending to a state as if she'd never been broken in the first place, leaving only burn scars, blood, and nakedness to let her know of what had happened. He placed his free hand by the side of her head and deepened the kiss, leaning in so that he could slide his tongue into her mouth.

She didn't have the heart to resist, even when somehow her body felt completely healed and she had the energy again to fight. She could tell he was so lonely. She could tell he was somehow like her now, with the giant burden of responsibility weighing him down, not giving him any time for HIMSELF. Was this Miroku? Was this the monk of the past? He'd always carried a burden, but never this heavy…

Miroku broke the sad kiss and pulled Kagome close to him—she felt no pain—sobbing. "Kagome…" he cried, his face buried in her hair. "It's been… so long… Sesshoumaru tells me… that you long for death."

Kagome lifted her hand to his face and attempted to sit up. He helped her sit up, still crying, and then helped her to stand. She forced him to look at her. Placing a genuine smile on her face, she brushed his disheveled hair from his eyes. She pulled him down slightly so she could kiss his forehead. "I long for death that my guardian angel won't give me." She told him honestly.

He pulled her to him again and kissed her on the lips once more, deeply and passionately. But this became more than just a kiss. She felt herself leaving his body and entering his memories. She saw his life in a matter of seconds, but it wasn't his doing. Somehow she knew she was doing this to him, dragging out these memories that he'd long hidden away.

And she knew HOW she was doing it. This power that she had was immense. She was dragging away his sorrowful memories, though not keeping them, and pulling forth the good ones. Again Miroku broke the kiss, backing away from her, tripping over his feet. "You… you need to go back. You need… to go back… Please, stop me when you go back… Don't let me wish on the jewel… Don't let me confine myself to this barrier!" He sobbed and ran toward the hut that was barely seen through the trees.

She didn't follow. Already the trees were melting. Miroku was in agony; she'd seen his life and knew why. But now that she knew what happened, now that she'd seen how things ended with Naraku, she finally was beginning to understand things. The things that just didn't seem to fit now had fallen into place on the puzzle.

And she had to make sure it stayed that way. She had to make sure it ended the way things were now in everyone's memories, or the world would suffer a time distortion. Miroku wanted her to stop him, but even though her heart went out to him, her mind knew she couldn't change the way things were.

She was left standing on the stairs to the shrine. Hiei would take care of Akari. Now Kagome would go back and finish things, once and for all. The destruction of the shrine was clear. Half of it was in pieces; she had done that. The least she could do was fix it.

She called on that immense power that she'd used on Miroku, molding it to her will. It streamed rainbow colored from her fingertips, collecting the rubble and replacing it how it was originally. It wasn't the power of the priestess, she realized. It was something MORE. It was something far more powerful. Within moments it was repaired and she realized she was standing naked for the entire world to see.

"I knew the witch was lying," she heard drawled behind her. Turning her head, she saw Ryuichi. He bowed to her, plucked three hairs from his head, and created an outfit from those hairs for her. He held it out. "My Lady," he smiled.

"Ryuichi, you can't be here." She told him, feeling detached from her body as she spoke, like she were a ghost or something unreal. She thought of Akari. Would Akari hate her when she found out what happened? Her wings rustled slightly.

"I will retrieve the witch and return then. I needed to see that you were safe." Ryuichi tossed her the outfit and left her in haste, transforming into a giant pink creature and taking to the skies above Tokyo. She thought, even though I'm covered in blood and scars, he feels I'm now safe?

Kagome looked at the outfit she'd barely managed to catch. She'd be able to wear it even with wings. She dressed quickly and made her way to the well-house. Momo's last words bothered her. Who was 'her majesty'?

Kagome's mother was blocking the bottom of the stairs. "You will not return." Naomi said firmly. "You're not fit enough, or strong enough." She sent a blast of tainted magic at Kagome. Kagome was only able to dodge by jumping out of the small hut again.

Sheena and Haru jumped down to block the well-house door and the path to Naomi, looking confused and guilty at the same time. "Sorry, Kagome." Sheena said quietly.

"Dad said we're to do our best—" Haru continued.

Sheena finished, "To stop you from entering here."

"We don't want to, but dad says." Haru added hastily.

Kagome ran her fingers through her hair impatiently. She flapped her powerful wings twice and hopped back a few more feet to put distance between herself and the twins. "Then your job is to hinder my quest." She smiled reassuringly at them. "I won't begrudge you for being my enemy." They didn't look reassured. "Now, down to business. Come at me if you wish to stop me, otherwise I'm going through that door."

They looked at one another before gulping. She was surprising even herself. Had she joined with the monster? Was this the monster speaking, or was it her? They did as they were told and came at her in unison, their untrained power—the power they likely didn't realize they had—creating a burst that shattered the pavement and left a battered dent in the ground.

She flew out of range, landing atop the well-house. She gave them a little wave before smashing her body through the roof and letting herself fall into the well. A power blast of tainted priestess magic burst on a piece of the roof that fell in front of her, and then there was complete blue surrounding her.

**-Feudal Era- **

"The fact of the matter is that we are running out of _time_!" argued Kaoi. Once the regent of the Western Lands, he was now a useful advisor and one of the few remaining from Sesshoumaru's father's reign who was still in power. Sesshoumaru listened to Kaoi's voice of 'reason' as he thought of it, but most of the time he cast what was said aside.

Though he did still listen. Sesshoumaru calmly replied, "And I intend to let that timeframe run out. I will not send the military into the Eastern Lands. I do not understand why you insist to call together the council for this daily when you already know my answer."

Together in the war chamber, as Sesshoumaru termed it, he was joined by half of his chosen advisors. Inuyasha and Kouga were glaring daggers at each other, but they were there. Seirra stood between the two canine demons, ready to stop them if they attempted to fight.

Miroku was missing—he'd disappeared along with Shippou and Sango five years before.

Also with him were Junokobi—the son of his father's personal guard, Nasami—and Kaito who had been Chief Advisor for the Western Lands for longer than even Sesshoumaru's grandfather had been alive. Kaito stood directly to Sesshoumaru's left and Junokobi stood to Sesshoumaru's right.

Since his ascension to the throne five years ago, Junokobi had taken it upon himself to be Sesshoumaru's personal guard. Anywhere Sesshoumaru went, Junokobi went, which was an annoyance in itself. It was very difficult to escape Junokobi's sight since he'd taken ill during the war five years ago. That meant increased tension in his relationship with Seirra, though it appeared he was the only one bothered by their lack of time spent together.

Uyama had been killed in the war but he used to be General to Sesshoumaru's army. His position had not yet been filled and Inuyasha, as the Second in Command of the military was filling in until Sesshoumaru decided who to promote. The young half-breed was proving useful in his position, if a bit hotheaded. It was both a good and a bad thing that Inuyasha preferred to take care of everything by himself. That meant he wouldn't use the military for his own personal benefit—not that Sesshoumaru believed his brother would ever do that.

Kaoi's mouth dropped open and he hissed, "Your Majesty, I believe you"—Kaoi took a semi-threatening pose toward Sesshoumaru, his hand twitching as if he would love to just slice down Sesshoumaru and be done with it.

Junokobi raised his halberd just slightly and stepped in between Kaoi and Sesshoumaru. "Are you threatening His Majesty?" he inquired.

Kaoi dropped back a step, startled.

Kaito ran one of his long fingered hands through his hair, his form slouched as usual. Even slouched, Kaito was three feet taller than everyone in the room. Standing up he was six feet taller than Kaoi—who otherwise was the tallest at eight feet. Standing straight, Kaito was fourteen feet in height. He had long legs that usually were constantly bent at the knees. His several times broken nose was healed crooked on his face and his mouth always seemed to be quirked oddly.

After Saro, Chief of Intelligence Affairs, died in the recent war of disease, Kaito had taken over the position without a second thought to whether or not Sesshoumaru wanted him there. With him having been in council for so long, Sesshoumaru could hardly argue with Kaito or tell him he couldn't take the position, though the resourcefulness of Intelligence Affairs had triple-fold since Kaito took over.

The demon—whom no one knew exactly _what_ he was—again sighed. "Kaoi, do not overstep your boundaries." Kaito warned.

Inuyasha snapped heatedly, "Kaoi, if you want to run the damn country so fucking bad, why don't you just kill Sesshoumaru and retake it?" His eyes sparkled with amusement and anger at the same time.

Kaoi looked astonished at the mere thought of assassinating the one the entire country considered the "Killing Perfection" from even before Sesshoumaru took the throne. Kouga agreed, "Yeah, if you think you're so much better at it, why not retake it?"

"That's enough!" Seirra snapped at the two, her white-silver eyes as blank as ever with blindness, but her fierce aura made them snap their jaws shut and scoot away from her. Sesshoumaru wondered momentarily if Kouga and Inuyasha were seriously condemning him, then shook the thoughts away mentally. If they were serious, he'd kick the shit out of them later on.

Sesshoumaru changed the subject swiftly. "Kaito, what have your spies to say about the condition of the East?"

"I'm telling you!" Kaoi growled. "If we go _now_ while they're at war with themselves, we can take them all down! If we wait any longer, they may have resolved their issues and they'll unify against us! This is an advantage to us!"

Kaito took a scrap of parchment from his haori and read from it, completely ignoring Kaoi. "Two of my spies report that the wolf-demon tribes from the East continue to send their troops to rally against the new King. Still none of them are able to get close enough to see him. After five years, I expected a female spy should be able to learn something from him, but they tell me he is uninterested."

Sesshoumaru nodded at the news. Junokobi remained glaring at Kaoi, as if he would rather just attack the guy and not just stand there. "Did you take my suggestion and send a male spy? I need to know more about this king other than his country's reverence for him." Or lack of it, he supposed. Most of the East seemed to have a grudge against the apparent new fox king, which was why they were at civil war. It seemed everyone thought they could do better at ruling.

"I did, Your Majesty," Kaito said numbly, "and we learned nothing more than he has left the castle temporarily and suspiciously. His servants state that it was so sudden they don't know what to think of it. I have had reports of a royal caravan heading into the northern parts of the East, though further investigation of that revealed it to be a princess who was turned away by the king for marriage."

Inuyasha paused in his glaring at Kouga, and both of them looked surprised. "Princess?" Inuyasha asked.

"Turned away!" Kouga blurted.

"Why'd he do that?" both of them asked in unison.

Kaoi said, "He's planning a war against us! Why else would he?"

Junokobi brought his halberd point swiftly to rest at Kaoi's neck, scratching it. "One more word…" he warned quietly.

Kaoi backed up out of reach, though it wouldn't stop Junokobi if he wanted to attack. "Kaoi," Sesshoumaru said, "I'm very close to being annoyed." He left it at that, Kaoi gulped, and Sesshoumaru turned back to Kaito. "You're certain it was a princess in her caravan?"

"Yes, Majesty." Kaito bent further in a semblance of a bow.

There was a hurried knock at the door, though the person didn't wait to be announced. It was Jaken and he had a folded piece of parchment in his hand. After his services were no longer necessary with Junokobi taking over for the toad (not that he could protect much), Kaito had taken in Jaken and the toad then worked for Kaito.

"My Lord!" Jaken stumbled over the staff of two heads and tumbled into Seirra's feet. He attempted to right himself quickly and handed Kaito the message. "A letter from the Priestess Kaede!"

Sesshoumaru felt curious at hearing that old name. Inuyasha and Kouga both stopped hissing at each other suddenly. Why was Kaito in touch with Kaede? "This council is dismissed." Sesshoumaru announced, feeling the entire thing had been a waste of time to begin with.

Seirra turned toward the door with an expressionless look on her face. Junokobi ushered Kaoi out and then came to return, but Sesshoumaru said, "Junokobi, I do not believe I will be in any danger in the current company. You are dismissed."

Junokobi scowled, but dared not disobey a direct order. He left the room. Kouga and Inuyasha both jetted out of the room, intent on the practice courts. They knew Sesshoumaru would tell them if the news was anything important. Jaken rubbed his hip, as if he was sore.

"Ah, very interesting." Kaito nodded and folded the letter up. "Thank ye, Jaken, there'll be no return lett'r." Jaken nodded and scurried away. He'd grown far more ornery since Rin's death five years ago, and a lot less talkative.

"Speak." Sesshoumaru ordered, though both of the two remaining in the room knew that Kaito would only talk if he wanted to and would disobey a direct order whenever he felt the inkling to do so.

"Have I ev'r tol' yeh 'bout me family?" Kaito rambled, and Sesshoumaru assumed he would get nothing. He moved to leave the room, but Kaito continued despite that. "Priestess Kaede is me great granddaughter, sort of. Illegitimately, certainly. By the time she was born there was enough human blood t' dilute the demon blood that 'er priestess abilities jus' purified 'er demon blood. T'is one way t' become human, 'spose."

"I see," Sesshoumaru murmured. "And what has she to say?"

"There 'as been unusual amounts o' activity by th' ol' bone eaters well. When she went t' investigate it, she found a li'l half-breed injured at th' bottom o' it. Two foxes showed up jus' hours after Kaede found an' patched th' girl up. Th' li'l girl seemed t' know 'em an' they took 'er off."

"And why is this relevant?" Sesshoumaru wanted to know.

Kaito smiled grimly. "They went East, Majesty."

Sesshoumaru frowned. "Do you think it could be possible?" he spoke more to himself.

"Could be th' king, but maybe it's not." Kaito shrugged. "I believe t'is worth investigating."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Then I will look into it myself."

Kaito nodded. "As shall I. Junokobi!" The young demon entered. Sesshoumaru should have known he wouldn't leave completely. "Junokobi, you are to stay here."

Junokobi growled. "What?" he demanded. "I will go where His Majesty goes!"

"I need you here," Sesshoumaru said. "I need you to make sure I have a castle to return to and that the two idiots don't destroy it. We will be gone only a few days." Junokobi opened his mouth to argue. "You will not accompany me because you annoy me." It was the truth, at any rate.

Junokobi growled and stalked off, probably to go beat something up as the younger generation seemed to need to do when angered. Sesshoumaru almost felt alienated from them, since he was their age but felt no urge to wallop something simply because he was angry.

**-Elsewhere-**

"Oh no you don't!" Kagome yelled, swinging the stick in her hand down onto the head of a bandit who thought she was easy prey simply because she was dressed nicely. The kimono that Ryuichi gave her restricted her leg movements because it wasn't meant for fighting in. She'd managed to work around that by utilizing her wings for most of her movements.

Without the feel of the monster inside her, it was almost too easy to move around now. She wasn't dragged down by the weight of the wings, and it was almost as if they were feather-light (or single-feather-light, perhaps). She could still see them there, still feel the wind they created, still feel the muscles pumping as she used them. But there was no pain in her chest like there was earlier that evening when Touya had her practicing.

She cracked a second bandit over the head with the stick and while he did go down due to dizziness, the stick snapped in half. She grabbed one of the bandit's battered and rusty swords and parried a blow meant to slice her in half. Touya's training paid off, even though it was supposed to be for rehabilitation purposes.

And the movements came so easily, as if this was what she was supposed to do. "Bitches don't know their place!" the bandit she was facing stated boldly as a second bandit attacked her backside. She was stuck with her blade beneath the attacking axe and couldn't block the sword. It bit into her shoulder and she collapsed to her knees.

"I know my place," Kagome grimaced, pain spreading from the wound like a wildfire. "And it's not under you!" she risked the danger of the axe and smashed her fist into the bandit's groin. He dropped his weapon, it barely missed her, and she felt oddly detached as she used the battered weapon to slice open his gut.

She swiftly turned and thrust with the sword, jamming it into the last remaining bandit's heart. He looked surprised and for a moment he didn't move very much, just staring at her like he couldn't believe the outcome. She let him fall and kicked him off the blade. For a moment, seeing the blood made her mouth water but she didn't give into the urge. Most of what kept her back was the fact that she'd just sliced open a man's stomach and his bile was on the rusted blade.

Once again stained with blood, she left two dead bandits and two unconscious ones, making her way to wherever her feet wanted to take her. She knew it was stupid not to go to Kaede's village, but she couldn't let them see her like she was. The villagers used to think she was a demon, when she'd first met them—was it nine or ten years ago now? With wings of black feathers, her upper canines still almost an inch long, swirling spectrum eyes, and her body covered in blood, they just wouldn't understand.

But after such a long day in her era, she was tired. Her thoughts converged on Akari. It had been bright out now that she thought about it. When she left her world through the well it had been bright out, but when she burst from the shrine with the monster in control of her body it had been dark. Whatever world she was in with Miroku, however he had managed to live five hundred years, she'd been there longer than she'd thought.

Was Akari okay? Was she scared? Did she know that her mommy had gone mad and killed a man, viciously eating his flesh from his dying body and tearing his limbs off? Was Hiei going to protect Akari?

She shook herself slightly as she stumbled clumsily over a small brook. By then, she wasn't sure how long she'd walked, lost in her thoughts. The blood was drying on her so she assumed it must have been a long time, and the sun was high in the sky. She dropped next to the brook and peeled the bloody kimono off, longing for a hot bath to sooth her aching legs and sore bare feet.

The cold water made her cramp up, but she used it to clean off sweat and blood as much as possible. She cleaned the blood off the pink kimono as much as she could and then hung it to dry on a tree limb. She rinsed the blood off the sword and lay it by her side as she sat down on a soft patch of moss to air dry. Her shoulder hurt, but a simple touch from that swirling colored power that so wanted to be manipulated healed the wound easily.

With the sun so high and sparkling through the treetops, she was slightly warmed but she felt empty. How could she even wonder if Hiei would protect Akari? Of course he would… He loved Akari more than just a little bit. He saw how her newly acquired elements were beginning to bother her, warming her up and then cooling her off quickly.

Soon it wouldn't just be 'warm' and 'cool'. Soon she would be burning up or freezing cold, like Hiei had to deal with. By the time she hit puberty, her elements would probably be strong enough to kill her, or maybe even sooner than that.

And Hiei would protect her from any outside interference. He would make her happy, without any questions asked. Even if Hiei couldn't protect Akari from the elements inside her blood, he would be able to make sure no one else touched her. He would grow her up well.

Kagome lay down in the soft moss, one hand on the hilt of the sword, her wings spread out across the ground to dry, and closed her eyes. 'Just for a moment,' she promised herself.

The sun had set when she opened her eyes again. She dressed and remained where she was by the bubbling brook, preening her feathers like Touya had told her to do so they didn't get matted. Her wings were extremely flexible and she could bend them in seemingly impossible positions around her body.

When the moon rose, she once more began to walk. She still couldn't be sure where she was headed, though she thought she felt a jewel shard on the edge of her consciousness. Wherever that feeling of the jewel took her, she supposed that was where she would end up.

She stumbled upon more bandits at dawn. "You've got to be kidding me," she groaned when they claimed women shouldn't have weapons. There were only three this time, but two of them had bows.

"Wehehe," cackled one of them with a bow. "Yeh'll fetch a price at th' slave auctions!"

She felt like all the cliché things in every book she'd ever read were converging on her. "I don't make a very good bed partner," she admitted to them, folding her wings against her back as tight as they would go. It wouldn't do to make herself more of a target for those arrows. She'd already been injured once and her shoulder ached a little even though it was healed, so she wanted to be careful.

"Oh, an' why's that, wench?" said the one with the broad sword.

The second one with the bow added, "Yeh've th' body o' a goddess. Yeh should be honored by th' opportunity."

She ruffled her wings slightly and smiled ironically. "My, so complimenting. I blush!" She was being sarcastic, and she could see how Seirra could fight without caring much for her enemy. She could see how Sesshoumaru could detach himself from the battle and just fight to completely eradicate the enemy. Because they were too stupid to leave alive.

"Yeh, now hand o'er th' sword. We don' wanna be too rough wit' yeh."

Her smile widened. "Rough? How about you pry it from my cold, dead fingers?"

As expected, they charged her. She ducked under the swordsman's broadsword and sliced up with her sword, biting through the flesh of his wrists. His hands popped off and he screamed, looking at his bloody nubs like they were vipers. She pulled the man up to block the arrows his friends shot, he was hit by two arrows in the shoulder.

Letting him go, she charged them before they could put another arrow to the string and smashed the blade of her sword into one bow, snapping it. Then, she brought the sword back around quickly. The man danced away, put an arrow to the string, and laughed at her. "I'll 'ave shot yeh a'fore yeh c'n e'en get o'er 'ere."

She wasn't laughing with him. "Die." She said, letting her magic fly from her like beams of sunlight. It smashed into his body and he collapsed without any visible signs of attack, like he'd died from natural causes—except the look on his face was one of pure horror.

She looked at the sword she'd taken from the first bandits. It was in bad shape—really bad shape. The rusting had weakened its structure so after driving it through bone and wood, it had bent. She dropped it as the man whose bow she'd cut in half ran away screaming.

She peeled the hands off the broadsword and dropped them by the dead corpse of the handless man. Blood loss had gotten him. She wasn't about to chase after the last bandit; if he wanted to live, she wasn't going to stop him.

"You're not in much better shape," she said to the sword. It was rusty and not well taken care of. There were chips out of the blade and places where the blade was dented but hammered straight again. It was heavier and wider than the short sword, but lighter and shorter than a long sword.

She kept walking forward, searching for water to clean herself up again and perhaps a place to rest her weary feet. Her stomach growled, so after finding a place to wash up, she searched for food. A small lake provided her with fish by sundown. She was so hungry she ate them raw, scales and all, but only ended up throwing them back up later on.

She slept in a tree when she was tired, wrapping her wings around her to create shelter. In the morning she caught another fish, but took the time to properly clean it before eating it, figuring it to be the scales and bones and innards that made her vomit. It was almost like eating sushi, except without the seaweed and rice.

She thought about how she'd been acting lately. Since the monster tried to kill her, she was different. She'd be hard-pressed not to notice. After all, this was her behavior. She killed several men in the past couple days, starting with Momo. How could she blame that on the monster? She'd probably have done it herself in the name of self-preservation but the monster got there first.

What would she do if she ran into anyone she knew? Would they recognize her?

"Sesshoumaru has to step up security on the country," she murmured thoughtfully as she ran into yet another group of bandits. She wasn't about to let them kill her; she'd made a promise to take the world with her when she died, so she wasn't about to die now. The world wasn't ready to go.

In that group of bandits, she left two seriously injured, one with minor wounds to the skull, and the last one—after losing his weapon—begged mercy. She let him live and continued on her way. She suffered a graze to the skull from an arrow in that fight.

Over the next two days she periodically walked and rested, cleaned herself up and ate berries from bushes and raw fish from the lakes around. Also over the next two days, she encountered tiny bandit group after tiny bandit group, mostly numbering in the three's and four's. She left more alive than she killed, though didn't keep herself above killing them if it meant her life or theirs.

Her arms burned with the effort of wielding the heavy sword, but misuse of it finally broke it. It shattered on one bandit's sword and she then had to rely on magic to finish the battle. She didn't leave anyone alive in that battle.

She took the sword that broke hers; another broad sword, rusted and beat up. It wouldn't last long if the bandit pattern kept up. She really had to talk to Sesshoumaru about the security in his country. If he let bandits roam like they were, merchant travel would dim down and prices would rise on merchandize to cover the costs of dangerous traveling.

She could see with every battle that her body was calling upon the sword practice memories from the last time she practiced with Sesshoumaru. She was getting better at wielding the sword, and her arm muscles—even after just a few days—were becoming stronger, though they constantly were tired.

Many bandit-battles and a few days later, she came upon a merchant caravan under attack by several skinny, malnourished men who had more weapons than clothes. These men with sunken eyes were trying to rob the caravan, though four archers were managing to keep them at bay—if nothing else. They'd have more archers, but three of them were dead. The bandits also had bows.

"A beggared Western Lands," she murmured thoughtfully, watching momentarily from behind a tree. She'd been off the road for a day and had been about to join back up with it when she came upon this.

Kagome wondered if she should involve herself. She'd handled three's and four's by herself, though she'd gotten injured and had to heal herself several times. Her body was now so scarred she would never let anyone see her naked. A quick count procured this group of bandits to have fifteen or more; it was hard to count them accurately when they kept ducking in and out of the trees.

She'd have to use her magic if she got involved. She could just go around, but for some reason she bit her lip at the thought of a lost battle. She used to hate battle, but she was beginning to realize that even with the threat of the possibility of death hanging over her, she was having fun with them. Was that the monster's doing, or was this just how people felt in battle?

She stepped away from the tree and spread her wings, beating the powerful appendages to lift her body up. Lighting on a tree branch that hung over the road, she was noticed by one of the archers. He was nothing but a child, perhaps fifteen years old, and realized with shock that it was Kohaku. He looked older than when she left him, which made her assume he was growing like any living boy would, but it was unmistakably him.

He wasn't wearing his usual attire of demon slayer uniform. Instead he was in a loose yukata tucked into oversized hakama. His sleeves kept blowing into the arrow as he put it to the string, and his grip was askew, like it was awkward to hold.

'He can use a bow?' she wondered, then shrugged it off. She pressed a finger to her lips and smiled at him as he kept one eye on her and shot at the bandits. She realized he was about as good with a bow as she was and shook her head. Give that boy a weapon he knew how to use, such as the chain-ball-and-scythe he was famed for having, and he'd probably have these bandits all dead.

Instead he got a bow. The arrow he shot wobbled through the air and landed several feet short of the target, unable to even manage a point in the ground landing. It skid to a stop at the bandit's feet. Taking her stolen sword, Kagome reinforced it with her magic. It was something she'd only begun to practice at earlier that morning, so she wasn't sure about any side-effects it might have.

This must have been the shard she'd been following. She'd found it, but where was Kikyou? Hadn't Kohaku gone with Kikyou?

Her sword blade began to swirl with color, looking like it had just been taken from the hot kiln. She spread her wings again and let herself fall from the branch, into the middle of the bandits. For a moment they seemed confused, wondering if she was one of the caravan's fighters or not.

Then, they decided she was there to hinder their looting and a couple attacked her while the main body of bandits continued to focus on the caravan. She realized none of the bandits were down; the archers among the caravan were all really crappy shots.

She ducked under a sword swing and parried a second bandit, shoving him to the side with all her strength. She was smaller than all these bandits, but they were malnourished and malnutrition made them weak. She kept her strength up by eating whenever she got the chance. Without supplies from her era, she had begun to see that it was indeed far more difficult to live alone. However, she wouldn't risk going back; her mother and Sheena and Haru would try to stop her from returning here and she didn't have that time to waste.

"Bah! Die li'l girl," cried one of the bandits, as cliché as they came. He held his axe above his head, leaving the rest of his body open to attack. She thrust her blade into his stomach and kicked him off it, then turned and swung at a second attacker. He parried her first blow and sidestepped her second.

A third attacker smashed her leg with his staff, but she'd gotten efficient at healing herself in the midst of battle. It was amazing what the will to live gave her, what strength she had to do things she'd never have been able to even imagine doing had she never been pulled through the well in the first place.

Her legs were restricted yet from the majority of movement due to the kimono. She didn't let that stop her. She slashed the heavy sword across the staffman's front, slicing the staff in half and his chest open. Her mouth watered at the blood.

Having finished those ones off, she brought her sword up and spun it in a three-hundred-sixty circle around her. Her magic formed a circle around her body, shifting colors constantly. She wasn't sure what prompted her to do this, it could have been the monster she was having doubts ever existed or it could have just been improvisation but she did it anyway.

The magic burst out from her as an attacker came close and sliced him in half. Those who saw this strange and unfamiliar magic decided the battle was no longer worth their lives and took off. Those who thought they could defeat her magic charged her and were like their companion: sliced in half.

The battle over, she retracted the magic from the sword. It shattered, unable to support itself without her magic. She sighed and dropped the hilt. "What a waste," she muttered and looked around the battlefield remains for a decent weapon. As usual there were slim pickings. She grabbed the least rusted sword. It was dropped by one of the ones who ran. It seemed to be a combination of a long sword and a broad sword, and heavier to wield than either of them would have been.

For a moment she almost thought she wouldn't be able to lift it. It was almost four and a half feet long—a foot shorter than she was tall. "Wonderful," she moaned. "I suppose that's what I get for scavenging."

Kohaku was talking to the merchants, pointing to Kagome. The merchant nodded and stepped over the dead bodies as she wiped the sword free of blood with her sleeve. She had no doubt the bandit found it too heavy to carry while running and probably was intent on coming back for it after the area had been deserted.

"Righ' o' yeh t' help. Thank ye kindly, lass." The merchant said, bowing to her. The rest of the merchants companions were righting their carts and preparing to take to the road, as if both relieved and knowing that bandits were probably waiting.

She looked the merchant over. He was a scruffy man, the domineering sort. He would do what he wanted, when he wanted, why he wanted. He wore rich clothes that had been in better shape before the battle. Now blood covered it, though he also didn't appear to care much, like he was used to it. She looked at Kohaku. He stared at her, a small smile crossing his features. It disappeared when a busty woman in furs slapped him. "Get back t' work, bratling!"

"I's th' merchant Ren. Pleased t' mee'cha." He bowed to her, smiling a wrinkled, money greedy smile. "Where yeh headed?"

She didn't bow back, instead she just shrugged. "I'm wandering." She was being increasingly rude to him—of course not that she cared.

Ren's smile widened. "Care t' wander wit' us fer a bit? We could use th' help, at leas' till th' next village where we can hire help." Kohaku glanced at her from the side of his eyes. He was the reason she agreed.

She shrugged again. "Sure, why not." When Kohaku was slapped again by the fur-lady, she decided she would charge Ren's caravan a high price when they let her go from service, and she'd take Kohaku with her. If he refused to pay, she'd just kill the fur-lady. At least that'd make her feel better.

Where were those thoughts coming from? She didn't just kill people to make herself feel better…

She didn't get to talk to Kohaku until long after they set up camp for the night, and she also didn't understand why these people didn't accuse her of being a demon with her wings in plain sight. With camp set up, the fur-lady kept ordering Kohaku about, sending him to the wagons for this item or that item. The fur-lady, who soon came to be known as Nanami, cooked a turnip and carrot stew, then passed dishes out to everyone except Kohaku.

"Lady, I haven't eaten anything yet today!" Kohaku argued with Nanami. He did indeed look hungry, and he looked like 'today' was an understatement. He probably hadn't eaten in a week. Nanami slapped him again and gave him a bucket. "Go wash everyone's dishes."

Kagome would have shared with him, except she'd eaten before the second stewpot was finished and assumed he would be fed out of that one. She followed Kohaku, her new, heavy sword tied to her back between her wings with string. It wasn't a convenient setup but it was the only way she could carry it, simply put.

Nanami's eyes watched her warily as she crossed the clearing to follow Kohaku. He didn't hear her following, or notice her until she'd wrapped her arms around his torso, surprising herself with the movement as much as him.

They were about half a mile from the caravan now. He was about to bend over next to a brook with the dishes and bucket. She was thirsty, she realized. So many days seeing blood and not giving into it… it was delicious, and she was denying herself a real treat. She folded her wings around the two of them; he stiffened.

"I can feel your wings, Lady Kagome," he said. "But I can't see them…"

She smiled, "So that is why they do not accuse me of being a demon… I guess you can't see them, if I can. Is that why I couldn't see Touya's?" she wondered almost to herself. She licked the boy's neck, unable to contain herself. Wasn't he dead? If she tried to drink his blood, would it taste stale or old?

"Lady, I'm alive…" Kohaku seemed miserable with that knowledge.

"How?" she asked him.

"The moment I saw you in the tree, my heart began beating again. Or at least, I think I'm alive… I guess I can't know unless I were to take the shard out."

She felt her sharp fang slice her lip. She pulled him close to her. He was only an inch shorter than her, she realized. "I'm…sorry in advance…" she apologized as the urge grew too strong. She opened her mouth and pierced his flesh with her fangs in the crook of his neck. Then she began sucking his blood out of the wound. He dropped the bucket and dishes with a clatter and reached up, his hands going behind his head to grab her hair.

He cried out in pain, though the humans back at the camp wouldn't have heard it. She felt him struggling, trying to push her away. Then he was too weak from blood loss and his arms dropped to his sides, his cries became mere whimpers. She released him and he was left with two puncture wounds, teeth imprints, and a hicky on his neck.

She lowered him to the ground, her thirst not quite sated. But she wouldn't devour him like she'd done Momo, and she wouldn't drain him so much of blood that he might die. She lay next to him as he stared at the sky with dilating pupils. With one finger, she gingerly touched the wounds and healed them with that rainbow colored power she wielded. They scarred.

"I…am tired…" he whispered, his eyes closing. She shed the sword and spread her left wing across him, her right wing still folded. She lay her head on his chest, a smile on her face. Somehow, she felt as if she'd just freed herself completely. Touya would be proud, undoubtedly. He'd told her to give into the urge, hadn't he?

Finally she'd done it, and it felt good. She felt full and complete, like no meal in her entire life had ever done. "You've done well, Kohaku," she told him. "You may sleep. I'll take care of the rest."

He dreamed nightmares as he slept.

At sunrise, Kagome woke Kohaku. No one had come looking for them, but Nanami watched with sharp eyes as they reentered camp. Kohaku lagged a bit, still exhausted, and near starved. She knew he wasn't getting proper nutrition, so when she was given porridge for breakfast, she gave it to him and he ate it greedily, much to Nanami's displeasure. She wasn't all that hungry after feeding on his blood the night before.

"Righ'," Ren said, apparently ignoring Nanami's heated whispers. "Off we go then, eh?"

The caravan set off. At noon they stopped for lunch by a large, open lake. Nanami took Ren aside and began whispering to him angrily. Kohaku was ordered to hand out bread, cheese, and dried meat to everyone, though he wasn't allowed to take any for himself. He handed Kagome a larger portion than everyone else, and she saw him sneaking bits into his pocket when Nanami wasn't looking.

Kagome grinned at him and told him, "Come sit by me when you're finished." He blushed and rubbed the bright hicky on his neck self-consciously, but he did as she bid and came to sit by her. She ate very little—still full—and gave him the rest. He gorged.

"Tell me about Kikyou." Kagome said later that night, having followed him when he was told to do dishes again. He'd thought she'd drink his blood again and had been tense for a while, only relaxing when she lay by the brook as casually as if that was all she meant to do.

Kohaku's shoulders slumped. "Don't you remember? You're the one who killed her."

She paused, though no memory like that came to mind. "I don't remember… will you tell me about it?"

He spoke of it quietly as he rinsed the dishes off in the brook. She'd shared her turnip and carrot stew with him; he was already looking healthier. "You called her with a song, she said. I thought it was a trap by Naraku… maybe that _was_ Naraku under disguise, if you don't remember it. But you—he—used Kikyou's arrow's shadow to kill her."

"Hm, well, Naraku does have a thing for taking other people's forms." He did it all the time, and he created incarnations of himself and used them like pawns. She stretched out, her wings popping and groaning momentarily before she refolded them against her back. "It's not anything new."

"Well, some other guy was there. You, or Naraku, or whoever that was called him 'Majesty' like he was a king or something. And you had black wings, only I could see them."

Kagome raised herself onto her elbows to look at the boy. "What do you mean?" Naraku didn't know about her wings; she hadn't been in the Feudal Era long enough for him to know about it.

"All I know is that you and Kikyou killed each other." Kohaku said. "Since you're here, alive, I'm assuming it wasn't really you." Kagome fell silent, thinking about that. Naraku did not know about her wings. If no one could see them, then that meant he still wouldn't know about them.

Well, Kohaku, you've given me much to ponder, Kagome thought to herself.

"And…" Kohaku started, then paused. He looked at her and reached out with a wet hand to touch the crescent that hung from one eye. "Nanami told Ren what these mean… If you're hiding from His Majesty Sesshoumaru, then you might want to leave. They're going to take you to one of the big cities and tell the watch guard about you. Councilmen don't just get to leave the castle on their own…"

Kagome chuckled. "Let them be surprised then, when I am welcomed with something kin to anger at my disappearing act. Everyone probably thinks I'm dead after five years."

**-Elsewhere-**

Sesshoumaru was almost irritated by Kaito's constant slouching, but the old demon didn't appear to care ever. So far they'd searched every village around Inuyasha forest and the only thing they'd turned up was increased reports of bandits in the region and a rogue woman who wandered from place to place, fighting any bandits that got in her way.

There were no reports of any foxes passing through with a half-breed child. The reports of the vigilante woman did perk Sesshoumaru's interest. According to the rumors, she'd appeared less than a week ago, about the time the little girl had appeared in the well. Kaito thought the two rumors could be somehow related, so they were following up on both.

They stopped in Yuu, a city large enough to have two barricade walls and a castle. The people of the city were thin and starved, but they bowed respectfully to Sesshoumaru and Kaito as the two walked down the main street toward the castle. Word spread fast and people began lining up to see the king.

Such attention was grating, but Sesshoumaru knew he wouldn't get them to just go away. Yuu was close enough to the Eastern Lands that if the foxes were from the East, it wouldn't be much noticed. No one blinked an eye at Easterners here, despite it was a Western city.

The plump demon lord who ran the city met Sesshoumaru at the castle gate. He didn't look starved like his people. Kaito wandered away from Sesshoumaru and the demon lord before introductions could even be made. He walked up to a black-haired man with bubblegum pink eyes like Ryuichi had and clapped him on the back, sending the young man sprawling on the ground.

"Eijiroo!" Kaito laughed. "A bit far from home, ain't yeh?"

The young man stood up and brushed dirt from his face before spitting on the ground, probably to clear dirt from his mouth. "I'd like it if you didn't make me eat dirt." Eijiroo shook his head for a moment before taking a step back so he could look up into Kaito's face without straining his neck. "What brings you to these parts?"

"I'm eskin' yeh tha', firs'!" Kaito chuckled.

"Oh, well Hakushiimaru has me looking for the Ice Maiden village." Eijiroo responded. "This dumb fire apparition here claims he's been to the place." He jerked his thumb at the pudgy lord in front of Sesshoumaru.

"Eh?" Kaito scratched the back of his neck. "What for?"

Sesshoumaru realized he was being talked to. "What brings you here, Your Majesty?"

"Did you really go to the Ice Maiden village?" Sesshoumaru inquired. Everyone knew of the place, though it seemed only to exist in legend. Women who could procreate by themselves and cried tears of pearls were supposed to live there.

The lord seemed taken aback by the sudden question. "Well, yeah." He grinned then. "Got drunk and fucked an Ice Maiden. But that's all in the past, you know? Over fifty years ago."

Eijiroo crossed the yard quickly and snatched the lord's collar. "Then I suppose you know of the whelp you fathered?" he demanded. "Half fire, half ice element?"

The lord looked perplexed, and to be frank, quite stupid. "Unhand me! And in front of the king! This is an outrage!"

Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow. "That's got to be painful… Ice and fire mixing and raging battle in one's own blood?"

Eijiroo released and shoved the fire apparition. "My brother's wife found the whelp screaming in the forest. His mother was dead beside him and they found a note in her kimono that said, 'Should I have died, please take care of my babies and make them happy. My daughter is Snow, and my son is Hiei. Hiei's father is a fire apparition, but as long as he remains beside Snow his fire element will grow weak and eventually die out. He won't be pained his whole life that way. But if his fire element is allowed to grow, there will never again be a chance to put out the flame.' But guess what?" Eijiroo scowled. "Snow was nowhere to be found, and the legendary favored weapon, the Ice Bow and Arrows were what littered the woman's body. The ice arrows were melting, but they'd killed her first. So we have to go to the Ice Maiden village and find Snow! Now tell me where it is!"

Sesshoumaru sighed. 'I don't have time for this,' he thought.

**-Elsewhere- **

The caravan was hit by two more bands of raiders over the next two days. In free time, Kagome practiced with the strange sword so it wouldn't be too heavy to lift during battle. On the night of the second day when she followed Kohaku, she was ambushed not by bandits, but by the young man himself. He cornered her against a tree and he kissed her.

She could remember thinking, 'Boy, does everyone want to kiss me lately?' After that, she threw caution to the wind and shared a passionate evening with the nine-year younger boy. It was hard to remember he was closer to Souta's age when he always acted so much more mature. But then again, most people in the Feudal Era were a lot more mature because they had to be.

The next day, every time he looked at her she felt her cheeks turn ripe red. The memory of the previous evening, of the comfort he'd desired from her, and of her giving him that comfort embarrassed her and yet it made her feel like a whore. She knew he wouldn't know that, and knew she would never tell him that.

Nanami didn't know what to think of Kagome sharing her meals with Kohaku since she assumed they'd only just met. It only confused Nanami further when Kagome followed Kohaku nightly when he went to do the dishes and the two of them rarely came back before sunrise.

But the next night, Kagome didn't follow Kohaku. Instead, when Kohaku went to do the dishes, Kagome went toward Ren and said her goodbyes. She couldn't stay near Kohaku any longer. If she became pregnant again, she didn't know what she would do.

"Ren, might I speak with you?" she asked him. "In private, please?"

"O'course!" Ren said cheerfully and they walked off the road path far enough that none of the others would be able to eavesdrop. Kagome's sword was tied to her back again between her wing blades. Since her sword was pretty much all she carried, she was already ready to go.

She'd have to let Kohaku deal with Nanami as he would. "What'd yah need, lass?" Ren inquired.

"I require payment for my participation in the recent battles. I'm leaving."

Ren's smile didn't disappear. "You were fed," he pointed out, as if that were payment enough.

"I _require_ payment for my participation in the battles," she repeated. She let a smile grace her features and thought to herself, 'let my wings show, please'. She spread them wide and some of her loose feathers fell around. "Should you not pay me, there will be dire consequences."

He took a step back, his eyes wide and the smile gone. "D…demon…" he whispered. His eyes were on her wings, then her face where she let him see the sharp fangs that always lengthened when she thought about drinking blood. She realized she could be very menacing if she just tried.

"Well?" she demanded, feeling several presences attempting to sneak up behind her. She heard the sound of creaking wood—something no normal human would have heard from that distance—as a bow was strung. It didn't appear they were going to let her go. Kohaku was right; they wanted to take her somewhere, but it wasn't to any legitimate city's watch guard captain.

The sliding of wood against wood, creaking wood as the arrow was set to the string and the bow was pulled back and aimed. With as bad aim as they all had, she didn't expect much, but she pushed off the ground anyway and flew into the darkening sky. The twang of the bow followed and Ren took the shot directly in the chest, though it would have hit her shoulder had she stayed.

"Well, someone really _is_ a good shot!" she called down with a grin. "Or was it luck?"

Nanami called up to her, "We'll kill the boy! If you don't come quietly, we'll kill him!" The woman seemed awfully calm for the fact that her husband was now dead.

Kagome laughed. "Why don't you tell him that? I'd enjoy seeing him kill you all for it."

"He couldn't kill a flea!" Nanami stated. "He's weak."

Kagome flew higher still, spiraling as she went up. Their arrows couldn't reach her, and then she took off in the direction Kohaku went. While she knew he wasn't weak, he didn't have the weapons to protect himself properly from all the merchants. He was startled when she landed and then she held out her hand.

They could hear the crashing sound of bodies through the trees. They were chasing her. Whatever they wanted her for wasn't anything legitimate. Did she have a million dollar bounty on her head in the underworld or what?

"Come on, Kohaku!" she said.

Kohaku looked back in the direction the raucous was coming from then moved over to her. "You were going to leave, weren't you?" he accused her as she pulled him into her arms. They clung to each other and she let her magic flow into him. If she didn't use her magic to make his weight disappear, she'd never get off the ground.

She crouched like she usually did to take flight and then took to the sky, though her takeoff was awkward. She wasn't used to flying with other people in her arms, and the flying thing was new enough as it was.

Kohaku kissed her as she spiraled upward and the distraction made them fall a few feet. She pulled away from him, blushing. "Kohaku, I'm trying to pay attention to what I'm doing! Unless you _want_ me to drop you?"

He laughed and hung onto her. She wrapped her legs around his and flew away from the merchants. Her heartbeat was increasing by the moment, and she knew this wasn't from the excitement of the merchants going mad, or from flying. It was from Kohaku's closeness. Hearing his laughter was joyful and made her want to just smother him with kisses. She felt terrible to admit that he was cute, in a way.

What about Hiei? The guy was Akari's father by blood now, and Akari had always thought of him as her daddy. What about the fact that she _knew_ Hiei loved her and only wanted her happiness?

Another part of her reasoned that if he wanted only her happiness, he wouldn't get mad if she was with someone else, right? But it made her feel guilty.

They were miles away from being caught up to when Kagome set Kohaku on the ground and landed herself. "Kohaku, we need to talk about this." She said, indicating the two of them.

He smirked like a cocky teen and stepped closer to her. Her face stained red again. "What's there to talk about?" he asked and he kissed her. Before she knew what was happening, he'd pinned her against a tree and again passion gave way to illogical reason. He'd thrust Hiei from her mind with his cocky teen-love, and guilt came after they woke up on the ground with Kagome atop Kohaku.

"I'm sorry, Kohaku," she whispered and attempted to leave. He grabbed her wrists and held them behind her back as they lay there.

His brown eyes opened and he looked at her. He grinned. "Try flying the coop and I'll have to clip your wings," he warned.

"Kohaku, let me go." She told him. "I have a job I have to do… If you don't let me do it, I'll have to take the shard from you." She didn't know why she was worried about Hiei anyway. He'd be disgusted if he saw her, with her body so scarred. Her face was somehow spared, but her body was so horrible that only Kohaku could possibly be insane enough to find it attractive.

He chuckled. "Take it then. I'm _alive_ now, remember? You brought me back to life. I'm yours, forever."

She shook her head. "Let go, or I might have to hurt you."

"We both know you won't do that," he boasted. "If you really wanted to get away from me, you would have left me behind." She blushed as he kissed her, but this time she wouldn't return it. There was also the fact that if she had a child fathered by someone in this time, the result would likely be disastrous, like she could become her own grandmother or something.

She pulled away from him. She didn't want to kill him; that much was true. But she couldn't stay with him. "I'm sorry…in advance…" she whispered and let herself think of blood. He screamed as she dug her fangs into his neck and tried to push her away, but she clung to him. Again when he silenced to mere whimpers and couldn't fight her anymore, she pulled away.

She felt as if she knew he specifically sought comfort from her because she was the only one who could give it. But it made her feel dirty to be used this way. It made her feel like a little whore, and she wouldn't—no, she _couldn't_ let it continue.

"I have a job to finish…" she told him, taking a moment to watch as he lay there, pupils dilating.

He choked out, "I swore… to protect… the Lady Priestess Kikyou…" His breathing was ragged as he tried to talk and stay awake. Unconsciousness was closing in on him fast. "I think… I fell in love… with her… Will you… let me be… with her?"

'Another person who loved my face, but not me,' she thought miserably, though her heart went out to him. She smiled and got off of him, taking the hilt of her sword—thrown to the side in their night's rut—in hand. 'Has anyone in my life ever loved me for being who **_I_** am? No, I am doomed to be nothing more than **_Kikyou's reincarnation_**.'

She felt momentarily cruel for what she was about to do; killing a defenseless man was the greatest of evils. But his eyes pleaded with her and she knew what it was like to be forced to live when all she wanted was death, the ultimate escape. Mokuhi wouldn't let her die, but she could release the souls that did want to die.

Kagome plunged the tip of the sword into Kohaku's heart. He gasped in pain and cried out, but otherwise was too weak from blood loss to move. She would have fallen to her knees and cried except that the tall blade held her up and she wouldn't release it.

"…I…love…you…Lady…Kikyou…" Kohaku said as he looked at her. They were his last words, spoken on his last breath. Kagome buried Kohaku later that evening by a beautiful lake, hoping that she would bring peace to his soul and said a prayer that he make it to Kikyou's side. She felt bad for him, knowing that Kikyou wouldn't have ever known of his love. Before death, Kikyou had loved Inuyasha, and after death she loved nothing and saw love in nothing but death.

It was too bad the two of them had been so far apart… Truly Kikyou had always been a step out of Kohaku's reach.

At moonrise, Kagome set off, pocketing Kohaku's shard. If she kept walking, it might not be so horrible what she'd done. If she ever saw Sango again…what would she say? "Oh, and by the way, Sango; I killed your brother because he asked me to!" Yes, that sounded complimentary…

The words 'death bringer' echoed in her mind.

She was a bringer of death… To everyone except herself. Why did her guardian angel keep her alive? Why did she have to suffer fate?

More bandits met her up the road. She fought them and won, leaving all four of them alive but slightly injured. They didn't call her a demon and run so she assumed her wings weren't visible again, or it was too dark for them to see black feathered wings.

She didn't know where she was going. She walked, slept an hour or two in a tree, ate freshly caught raw fish and berries, and walked some more. She kept herself moving by thinking of Akari and allowing herself a foolish little fancy that her daughter wouldn't hate her or be disgusted by her when Kagome saw her again.

Three days later she came upon a blacksmith's hut out alone in the forest. She needed a decent sword, one that would work for her and the blacksmith—a young man in his late twenties who lived alone—agreed to forge a sword specialized for her if she helped him with some of his work around the place. She was shown how to chop wood and stack it, though the man didn't seem to expect much out of her.

"Ah'll give yeh 'till this evening t' chop firewood, then yeh can wash up an' cook supper. Th' lord o' th' region wants me t' arm 'is soldiers, so I gotta get t' work. Lemme know if yeh finish early." He went into his forge and began hammering away at metal, ignoring her protests about cooking. She'd make him sick if she cooked.

She'd chopped and stacked wood for several hours, but felt like the pile was never ending. She knew she could use her magic to split and stack the wood, but she felt that would be cheating and the work she was doing, while hard, would strengthen her muscles.

At sundown the blacksmith came from his forge, topless and sweat soaked. He looked surprised to see her still there, chopping wood, and watched her for a moment. She stopped working when she noticed him there. "Hm?"

He shook his head. "Oh, nothin'. I jus' din't 'spect yeh t' still be 'ere. We din't properly introduce ourselves. Name's Osage. Lady Priestess Kagome, righ'?"

She dropped the axe in surprise, nearly landing it on her foot. "How did you know my name?"

He said, "Got posters o' yeh face all o'er villages. Ne'er seen a higher bounty fer one person, though yeh _are_ Secon' Chief Advis'r. Ol' Lord Kaoi said yer a deserter, t' be taken dead 'er alive." She stiffened. Against this beefy man, would she stand a chance? He grinned. "No worries, Lady. I ain't gonna take yeh a'fore th' authorities. I me'self am wanted by th' Lord Provost, an' 'e don't take kindly t' thieves turnin' in thieves, if yeh know what I mean."

She relaxed just slightly and bowed her polite thanks. "That's a relief," she said, though she knew in the back of her mind that there was a chance he was lying to her about his not wanting to turn her in. She couldn't let her guard down completely. Not until she was sure. "Though I would hope that His Majesty frowns upon an order for me taken in dead… I do wonder about the increased banditry and raiders around, however. Could you tell me about that, Sir Osage?"

He waved her to precede him into his hut. She went in, keeping her wings furled tight against her body. She could tell he was human and didn't want him to be afraid of her simply because she looked demon, so she whispered to them that they stay invisible. It seemed to work, because he didn't acknowledge their presence.

"The war five years ago left th' Western Lands stuck wit' high taxes t' pay fer th' military, an' thems who can't pay taxes by their lords get thrown off their lands if they ain't got som'at t' barter. Aroun' 'ere, we're also fair close t' th' Eastern border, an' they's always at war wit' themselves. So some's them raiders and bandits're comin' from th' East, an' some's them'er from 'round 'ere."

Osage set a pot to boil and began whipping up a quick stew using dried vegetables and meat as he talked. "The East?" Kagome inquired. "Why are they always at war?"

"Civ'l war," Osage explained. "Th' Royal Family's a bunch o' foxes, an th' wolves an' coyotes an' other canines don't like tha'. They all get t'gether an' fight it out, bu' thin's get messy a'cos e'eryone's on they own side. Now's they got a new young king on th' throne, too, so fightin' o'er there's pretty vicious. Yeh can clean out yer pores wit' all th' blood in th' air, some places. So's all some people's got left af'er alls said 'n' done is some ragged clothes an' battered weapons. Some's them e'en lost their families so they turn t' banditry t' get by."

Kagome sighed and accepted the bowl of stew he handed her. As a precautionary measure, she filled the bowl with her magic, ordering it to burn out any poison that might be in it, though she'd never really be certain if there had been any there to begin with. She hated poison. "I've been accosted by at least a hundred bandits since returning. Isn't there anything that could be done to stop them from making themselves outlaws?"

"Lord Provost's walkin' 'em t' th' gallows when 'e catches 'em, an' Lord Kaoi 'as 'em beheaded. His Majesty can't do t'much 'bout what's goin' on. Death fer bein' an outlaw 'as been a time hon'red custom fer centuries. Can't jus' go changin' th' way thing's is run, see, a'cos th' nobles don't like it." Osage didn't notice her use of magic, and if he did, he said nothing about it and showed nothing of the knowledge in his features. He sat leaning against the messy hut wall casually as he ate.

"But, but the nobles?" Kagome's grip on her bowl shook as her anger was produced. The thought of the injustice that was being served to the people of the Western Lands made her sick. "Who cares about the nobles? Shouldn't we be worried about the _entirety_ of the country, not just the nobles but the serfs as well?"

"Yeh're th' firs' noble I e'er hear sayin' like tha'." Osage said. "It's fine 'n' dandy though. See, 'round these parts, we got two local nobles tha' I'm sittin' between th' lands o'. They sits in their castles an' get fat. Oshmage taxes th' hell outta 'is people in Yuu t' th' East. Then next closest is Potega, in Bus. Both 'em're bad's they come. Oshmage's got a sec'rt source o' money; 'e's sittin' on a gold mine o' a daughter who cries tears o' pearls. 'E's usin' it t' fund 'is army o' mercenaries, which 'e wants t' raise agains' 'Is Majesty o' th' West in th' nex' couple o' months."

Kagome set her bowl down before she spilled it. She looked at Osage. "You're saying you know of a plot against Sesshoumaru and you haven't told anyone?"

Osage held up his hands in defeat. "What's I s'pose t' do? I'm an outlaw, due fer th' gallows soon's they catch me. I get seen anywhere near public places, I might's well 'ave been dead a'ready. An' if I try t' go tell 'Is Majesty they's foul plots a'foot, they gonna think I's attemptin' t' kill 'em."

Kagome slumped her shoulders and picked up her bowl again. What right did she have to act all righteous and noble anyway? Three days before she killed a boy merely because he asked her to. She committed a grave sin, and her hands were awash in blood. While he could die, she'd never be able to.

"What'd you do to become an outlaw?" she asked him.

She watched him lift his shoulders in a shrug. "I's an assassin. Killed lots o' nobles fer th' last Eastern king's wife, Chieko." Chieko, she thought with surprise. Sesshoumaru, in the future… his wife's name was Chieko. And in Miroku's memories there was a woman who called herself Chieko that Miroku never liked. Could they be the same Chieko? "An' when she 'ad me kill His Majesty o' th' East, she ne'er meant t' just 'ave it slide. She pinned me wit' th' kill an' all throughout Japan I's marked an outlaw. Bounty on me 'ead in th' East, wanted alive, an' wanted dead 'ere in th' West a'cos I'm a dangerous criminal."

"Oh… So instead, you make weapons for Oshmage?" she set her empty bowl down thoughtfully.

He shrugged. "Oshmage's a big idiot an' don't know who I am. So livin' 'ere suits me fine."

"Tell me about Oshmage's source of money."

"Not much t' tell. 'E use'ta have a Ice Maiden woman tucked away in 'is castle, an' 'e'd abuse her t' make 'er cry 'er tears o' pearls, but af'er she 'as his kids, she ran off a couple o' days ago. So, 'e 'ad 'er killed an' framed th' rest o' th' Ice Maidens fer it. 'E left th' bratlin' boy fer dead, I heard, an' took th' li'l girl fer 'er tears."

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**Tell me what you think of this chapter (length, quality, etc.) That's just crazy...**


	189. The Seamstress

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: _I am good, how about you?

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Chapter 189: The Seamstress and the Monster

Osage let Kagome sleep the rest of the night, though he went and continued to work in his forge until past midnight and woke her up at dawn to do more work. If she wanted to get a weapon out of him, he explained that she would be doing a lot of work around for him.

She actually didn't mind the work. Despite that her hands were soon blistered and sore, her back aching and her legs feeling like overcooked noodles by the time noon came around, she could feel her body becoming stronger every minute she worked.

That was probably the monster, she figured, it grew stronger. Osage brought her lunch out in the forest while she was taking a quick breather. The sun was high in the sky and beat down through the treetops with immense heat at midday.

Osage had also brought healing salve for her blisters. "Show meh yeh're hands." He ordered.

Like the child who'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar just before dinner, she showed them to him. His eyes widened slightly. "So yeh _are_ a demon," he breathed. "I wa'n't shore, b'cos they's always 'ad a Secret-Keeper 'n' th' East 'oo's eyes were like rainbows 'n' all, but they's human, so I's thought…" He spoke of the fact that she'd just used her power to heal the blisters, right before he'd come.

Kagome pulled her hands back to her, frowning. "I'm… not sure what I am anymore." She admitted, cutting him off before he could continue. It was true; she wasn't sure anymore. She'd taken pleasure in fighting against bands of people who had nothing else to turn to but banditry and she had the blood of both Momo and Kohaku on her hands.

How could she possibly live with herself?

"Were yeh human when yeh was born?" Osage didn't seem afraid of her; despite that he seemed convinced she was a demon. He seemed a little surprised, but nothing more. He handed her the bread and cheese he'd chosen for lunch. The wooden cup he held had water in it but if she were to tell the truth, water wouldn't quench the thirst that immediately sprang to her tongue.

She was _parched_, and she knew that only one thing in the world would cure this thirst. Too often of late had she used the thought of blood to make her curse take hold and her fangs grow and it was taking a negative affect on her, though so far only minor thirst. Would it haunt her? Would it grow so bad that she'd lose all sense of where she was and the monster would be reborn?

She nodded at Osage and accepted the food, eating the bread but not the cheese. She only sniffed that and gave it back. "Perhaps you should not eat this… It speaks of disease."

"So's, yeh must be a Secret-Keeper, eh?" he nodded knowingly, as if telling bad cheese was proof of her lineage.

She rolled her eyes at him and sipped the water. "That's not hard to tell at all. You don't have to be any sort of Secret-Keeper t' tell that the mold goes all the way through the brick." She paused as he grinned, then blushed. "Goodness, now I'm starting to talk like you!" He laughed at her for it.

**-Later- **

Osage left her to the woodcutting task again after lunch and soon her muscles were screaming for release from the inconvienence that was chopping wood. As she was chopping wood she remembered the jewel shards Rin in the future had given her. It made her furious to know that in order to complete the quest, she now would have to return through the well one last time.

That meant facing her mother and the tainted priestess power, perhaps even Haru and Sheena if they got in the way again, and that wouldn't bode well for her. For now, however, she decided it was a good thing she did not have the shards with her. Demons were attracted to the shards, and so were some humans, and Osage had been so nice so far that she didn't want to impose that threat on him.

As the day began to ween into the last hours of light that the shadowy trees could hold, Kagome packed Osage's handcart full of wood and returned with it to stack it under the shelter beside his hut. The first load she had just tossed as many pieces of wood into the cart as she could, but Osage pointed out that if she didn't get all the wood she'd cut that day into the shelter before dark, he wouldn't split bread with her for supper.

She found a better way to stack the wood in the cart on the second try and filled it as full as it could go and began pulling the cart back like a mule. It was much heavier to move than before. The movement excersized most of her body muscles, but after three more loads, she swore she was ready to die—and take the world with her.

"Tha' th' last o' th' loads?" Osage asked her as she entered the clearing his hut was in, pulling his cart with every ounce of her might.

She only thought about saying the truth for a moment, then said, "Yes."

He looked like he knew the truth, but he helped her stack the wood from the cart to the shelter and they had leftover stew from the previous night for supper. The meat was overcooked and tough, and the vegetables were mushy and overcooked, but it was still filling.

Kagome's days with Osage took on a pattern after that. He'd wake her up at dawn and she'd chop wood all day with a break for lunch while he worked in his forge. They'd chat about random things, though both of them remained reserved with each other, never getting too open with the other since both knew better than that. They'd eat supper and then sleep. He gave up offering his bed to her, since she much preferred to sleep outside in a tree with her wings wrapped around her. His hut was too small for her to properly stretch her wings fully out.

Then she would be woken up at dawn again for the entire pattern to begin again. Some days she felt completely rejuvenated after sleeping, and some days she felt so tired she didn't know what to do with herself. Every day she woke up with an unquenched thirst, and every night she dreamt of Kohaku as he tried to push her away, his body in agony as she sucked the blood right from his veins.

She soon became too tired to even question what era she belonged in, much less whether or not she had a daughter, and when she did remember Akari at strange and isolated moments she felt lonely. Hiei would certainly take care of Akari though, wouldn't he? He seemed to have a soft spot for children, though he was afraid of them at the same time for some reason. All the children in the village near her mansion had adored him, big or small, and they loved to chase him and dreamt of the day they would be as fast as him.

Thinking of Hiei made her feel guilty as well. She never did apologize to him for her cruel, unjust behavior. He trusted her, loved her… and she had broken his heart. How could she be so cold? And the intimacy she'd shared with Kohaku? Did that not also betray Hiei?

Weeks passed, then months. Once a month Osage would give her a day's break and load his handcart up with the weapons he'd forged to cart off to Oshmage's castle. She soon ended up borrowing clothes from Osage, as her outfit ended up tattered. Already she'd sliced the kimono bottom to a place above her knees but once it became apparent that it wouldn't work anymore for her and that the harsh treatment she—somehow—ended up giving the clothes became clearer, Osage decided borrowing his clothes out wasn't the grandest of plans.

She didn't tell him that the reason her clothes ended up so tattered, so quickly, was because she would practice using her wings while carrying increasingly heavy objects, such as large pieces of wood. Her flight with Kohaku had proved that, even though the monster was gone and she could carry herself with her wings, she'd still have to work to carry others should the need arise.

At the first frost, Osage loaded his handcart up with the weapons he'd made and announced, "Yeh'll come too. I's wantin' a tailor t' look a'cha, see if no strong kimono's possible."

Kagome frowned at him when he said that and he appeared to know what she was about to say though he did let her speak. "Are you giving me over for my bounty?"

He chuckled. "Come, yeh're no still suspicious o' me, eh? Xiu Mei be a good friend'o mine. I's already tell'd yah; Mi'lord Provost don't like it when th' outlaws turn in th' outlaws. Then e'er'body jus' gets hanged." He pulled a well-worn shirt on and tied it in place with a sash that was equally tattered. "Asides… yeh can' wear tha' fer th' winter, can yeh?"

He waved to the most recent of Osage's borrowed clothes. She'd cut the back open to free her wings as usual, but the cutting job was shoddy and the wing feathers near the joining of the base of the wings and her back were becoming damaged.

To be honest with herself, she knew she would love to see a tailor and have clothes made that would fit and be fairly durable. But she worried for more than one reason: anyone who saw her face would know who she was immediately and she would be besieged with guards, and her thirst had grown so bad lately that she couldn't look at Osage for very long before she began salivating and staring at his neck in hunger. What if there were so many people that her hunger took over her mind? Was the monster still alive?

"Come," he said. "Xiu Mei's good t' me, an'll give me a cheap rate."

She agreed reluctantly to go when he pulled out a couple of hooded cloaks to ward away the wind. She vowed that if her thirst got out of control, she would simply fly away. Again she had to cut a rough hole in the cloak for her wing's allowance. He looked at her oddly for it.

"Do th' scars on yeh back irritate yeh?" he asked as he pulled on his and led the way to his filled handcart.

"Scars?" she asked, trying to turn her head to see what he was talking about. The little bit of her back she could see was covered in burn marks from when the monster had taken over her body; the rest was her wings.

"The's two long scars on yeh back, linin' wit' yer spine…shoulder-blade, like…" He was obviously confused she didn't know what he was talking about. "An th' burn scars… They irritate yeh when cove'd er sommat?"

She looked at her wings again, then finally realized what he must be seeing. When the monster's wings weren't visible, it looked like two parallel scars ran down her back—those from where the base of her wings met her flesh. She didn't want to let him know she had wings, so she just shrugged and let him believe what he wanted to.

Much to her displeasure, his gentlemanly nature didn't exist very much and he made her pull the heavy cart. She asked why he was doing her such a 'pleasant' service, and he laughed at her complaint. "Yeh're a scrawny g'rl. Yeh ain't got no muscle, an' this'll help tha' fer when I teach yeh t' forge yeh're own sword." He replied seriously.

"Me? Make my own…" she paused and frowned, though kept moving straight along the broken path. The sun-dried, frozen grasses bent underneath her feet and the wheels. "Why?"

He let a low chuckle escape his lips. "I ain't ne'er forged nothin' t' be used by a woman. Seems o'ly fair a woman makes 'er own weapons, eh?"

"Twisted logic," she muttered.

They made it to Yuu in one piece and just before entering the city, Osage made her stop and they pulled their hoods up. "Try 'n' look down on yeh're luck," he informed her.

She asked, "And my luck's up?" He laughed so hard at that he snorted.

Kagome had thought that Xiu Mei would be a man, but it was a woman. She didn't know why she thought 'man' considering men didn't often take part in much sewing in the feudal era unless it was tanner work or quick fixes in battle. She was glad her assumption turned out wrong.

Osage left Kagome in Xiu Mei's care while he delivered his cart load of weapons to the Lord Oshmage. Kagome observed Xiu Mei for a long moment while waiting patiently for Xiu Mei's attention. There were three other women in the dimly lit hut and two of them had children on their hips or by their side. Those two were Kagome's age, perhaps younger. The third was an elderly woman, half crippled.

Xiu Mei spoke with a slight accent and from Kagome's experience with people in her era the last five years, Xiu Mei was likely from China. Xiu Mei kept her black hair in a messy bun, obviously not really concerned of her appearance. Her brown eyes reminded Kagome of the color hers used to be before they'd begun swirling like a spectrum.

She wore clothing like a man—like Sesshoumaru. Since she obviously had cloth at her disposal, she also wasn't garbed in cheap linen or other such clothing. She wore thick, durable clothes made for hard use. Her brown haori was decorated with black and red dragon patterns and her yukata was a lighter taupe color. Xiu Mei's hakama were also a dark brown, tight at the waist and ankles. She padded around her hut with brown stockings on.

Each step that Xiu Mei took, Kagome saw a new outline of a weapon in a new place on the other woman's body underneath the clothes. Two daggers on each ankle, one on the outside of each thigh, one on her right hip and one on her left, a dagger at the small of her back, one strapped to each wrist. The four pins that held her hair up were actually six inch metal needles. Also holding her hair up was a strange, flat, donut-like frizbee made of metal with razor edges on the outside that her hair was pulled through the middle and the pins held in place behind her head.

A look around the hut showed more hidden weapons, ones that were too large to be concealed on the body. It was almost as if the weapons were a part of the structure of the building the way they were carefully hidden. Kagome wasn't even sure what made her feel as if she knew the weapons were there; it was more of that strange, rainbow colored power she thought.

A large weaving loom pushed into the corner of the hut was made convincingly out of bows, staffs, and bow strings. The legs of the weaving table were clubs and the edge of the table looked like it was lined in dull metal rings, though bending over discretely to 'pick something up' showed them to be hundreds of shuriken lining the bottom edge of the board.

The fire pit hook was taller than usual because it was made of two double-ended tridents and two metal rods. The chain-ball-and-scythe that Kohaku had been famed for using was what made up the pot-hook.

Shelves were made of discretely disguised sythes, planks of wood, and throwing stars. The shelves held the cloth that Xiu Mei would use to make clothes. A sewing kit of needles was open on the weaving table, but some of the needles were six or more inches long, some made of metal and some of wood, some of them even had a faint discoloration to the tips.

Kagome could see how Xiu Mei was a good friend of Osage. A seamstress who needed this many weapons around her was no ordinary woman. Then again, Kagome wasn't really one to talk; she'd killed a young boy simply because he asked her to do so.

Soon the other three women had left with clothes in their hands for themselves and their children (or children's children). Kagome was left with Xiu Mei. Osage had given Kagome a strange piece of parchment with a strange language written on it, nothing she'd ever even remotely considered a language. It was a series of lines, dots, and dashes scratched onto the page.

Kagome assumed she was to give this letter to Xiu Mei and figured it probably somehow told of Osage's strange association to Kagome but she didn't want him to have to fight her battles for her. Though this was hardly a battle, it would certainly be a sore blow to her pride to have someone else get her something she had not earned.

Xiu Mei greeted her in her native tongue before returning to speaking Japanese. Kagome surprised the woman by returning the greeting—in Chinese. She remembered being forced to learn Chinese by Sesshoumaru for the past five years. He'd insisted it would 'come in handy'. Now she realized he already knew she was supposed to learn it.

Xiu Mei's lips curled in a smile. She said in Japanese, "Yeh speak well my language, bu' kin yeh say much else bu' a greeting?"

Kagome had been drilled for endless hours on the language until it was perfect. Even after five hundred years Sesshoumaru was fond of the 'pain makes you remember' disciplining program. If she messed up, he slapped the palm of her hand with a thick ruler and if she flinched she got double punishment. At least the future Sesshoumaru was a lot kinder than the Feudal Era one. Sesshoumaru in the past would make lessons stick by beating her up—literally until she was bloody.

Kagome kept speaking in Chinese, remaining with her hood up and the shadows cast over her face. "I can say a lot of things, though I do not for fear of offending people. Personally, I begin to believe many people are just a little too sensitive."

Xiu Mei's eyes twinkled with merriment. She reverted to her native tongue and if it weren't for Sesshoumaru's teachings, Kagome knew she'd have been lost in the hasty tumble of Chinese words. They might have been somewhat similar to her own language, with Japanese having originated from Chinese, but when Xiu Mei spoke so fast, it was like an American speaking to another American who was drunk off their bum.

"You know, I noticed that too. When the ship I was on washed ashore twenty years ago after a storm, I didn't speak a word of the language here! Well, sort of, but it was similar enough to my own language that I caught on rather quickly thanks to a friend of mine who helped me learn."

"And I will add you speak the language rather well, too." Kagome complimented her. "But I do have business to ask of you. I, admittedly, have no money, but I will work for new clothes. I am in dire need of some, as mine are becoming ragged and winter is approaching."

Xiu Mei nodded and spun her finger around in a circle. "Well," she continued speaking Chinese, as did Kagome, "take the cloak off and turn in a circle. I'll see what I can do with you."

Kagome hesitated to do so, but a look at the hut again reminded her that Xiu Mei—though she seemed nice and bubbly—was probably not anyone legitimate with the law. She pulled the hood off first, and then peeled the rest of the cloak off. Her thirst came back full force as Xiu Mei took a sharp intake of breath. Was the thirst triggered by breathing patterns? That seemed silly…

Kagome didn't spin in a circle right away. She waited for Xiu Mei's reaction first. "You can't be… be _her_, can you?" Xiu Mei asked.

Figuring that the Chinese woman was talking of the Second Chief Advisor thing, Kagome nodded the truth of the matter.

"The Lady?" Again Kagome nodded. "The Lady Priestess?" Another nod was the answer. "The one with the giant bounty on her head?" Kagome nodded once more. "The Lady Priestess **and** Guardian of the Jewel of Four Souls **and** Secret-Keeper **and** Second Chief Advisor to the Western Lands Kagome?"

Kagome thought for a moment, tapping her finger on her chin. Finally she replied, "Well, when you put it that way, it certainly does make me seem pretty impressive, though I don't think I'm anything of the sort. You won't turn me in for my bounty will you?"

Xiu Mei actually paled. "Me? You're kidding right? Lord Provost will have my head on a platter if I did that. I've heard rumors that he actually eats the heads of those outlaws who've tried to turn in other outlaws." She rubbed the daggers at her wrists, as if for comfort.

Kagome let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad." She spun in a circle and when she stopped again, Xiu Mei's eyes were nearly bugging out of her sockets. "What is it?" Kagome inquired.

Xiu Mei walked around Kagome and placed her hand on Kagome's left wing where it met the flesh on her shoulderblade. Surprised, Kagome hopped out of reach. "I beg your pardon?" she insisted of the seamstress.

Xiu Mei shook her head. "I… thought I was the only one…" She turned her back to Kagome and for a moment Kagome saw two slots in the back of the outfit. Just seconds later, Kagome saw large, black feathered wings leading into those slots comfortably, large enough for a wing span like Kagome's of thirteen or fourteen feet—Kagome wasn't sure which, since guestimating wasn't her forte.

"Oh…" Kagome breathed and stepped closer. Suddenly a question sprang to her lips before she could stop it. "Do you get thirsty?"

Xiu Mei turned to face Kagome, a hardened look in her eyes. "It's all the monster ever asks of me, that I appease its thirst every so often. I've gotten better and better at drinking only what the monster needs to sate it." But did that make it okay for Kagome to drink too? At least she wasn't the only one who thought of the inner beast created by the curse as a monster. "If you don't drink, as I found out quickly, the monster takes over and forces you to watch as it rips apart bodies and eats them and bathes in their blood. I'm an outlaw because of it."

Kagome felt a change in subject was due. The look on Xiu Mei's China-doll face wasn't one of splendid happiness or solemn grace, but one of anger and pain. "Will you make me clothes? I will work for them." Kagome promised.

"Can you sew?" Xiu Mei asked, sounding grateful for the change, and yet at the same time sounding as though all she wanted to do was talk about that _one_ subject.

Kagome shook her head. "No, not very well. I've made clothes for my daughter, but my stitching is only tight and durable, nothing elegant like what I've seen you give the other ladies."

"The inner seams aren't all that important and no one ever scrutinizes them so long as they can stay together," Xiu Mei said. "I'll give you a few lessons on how to do it, and I'll set you to work. You can work for me in the evenings." Though Kagome knew Xiu Mei didn't know it, that idea would work well for Kagome. She could help Osage during the day and Xiu Mei at night. Maybe when she died she would be able to sleep?

Xiu Mei looked like she had something more to say. "Yes?" Kagome urged.

The other woman spoke hastily as if not really sure she wanted to be heard. "Where's your daughter now and how come you're not with her? All the mothers I've ever met won't let their children out of their sight to pee, much less for anything else!"

Kagome chuckled momentarily before letting out a heavy sigh. All she knew was that Akari was safe with Hiei. "Akari is with her father right now… I only hope he's not so mad at me that he won't protect her." She had to be safe with him, because he loved Akari as much as, if not more than, Kagome did.

"What happened between you two?"

Kagome attempted a smile, but tears sprang to her eyes with the effort. "He never really gives his trust to anyone, and… I betrayed that… I'm a terrible friend…"

A thoughtful, curious look crossed Xiu Mei's face. "Don't you mean 'wife'?" She probably thought that Kagome's Chinese was mixed up. "As in, marriage?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, I mean 'friend'. Though he loves me like that… I think I could only ever love him as a brother." It was strange to say it because it felt real. Aside from that, she knew that there could be no way in the world he'd ever love her now; scarred and ugly, a Queen of betraying people… And yet, people congregated to her in droves. It was impossible to understand what kind of foolish logic someone would have to have to _trust_ a creature as horrible as Kagome.

"And yet you had a child for him?" Xiu Mei looked confused and a little disgusted.

That brought a genuine smile to Kagome's face. "It's a long story, but Akari thinks of him as her father. He didn't actually help in the conception of her." Xiu Mei's lips formed an 'o' shape and she nodded. Though she didn't look like she understood.

Kagome then chatted for another few minutes with Xiu Mei before thanking the woman and leaving with one of Xiu Mei's older outfits just to use for now. Xiu Mei was smaller than Kagome height-wise so the holes in the back of the yukata and haori had to be cut further open and the legs became more like capri's, but it would work for a temporary fix and the cloth was far thicker than Osage's. Since he worked in a forge all day and was heavily muscled and well-built, he didn't really have much need for summer kimonos and winter kimonos.

She promised she would return the next night to help sew for Xiu Mei.

**-Elsewhere- **

Reports flooded to his workspace in the expansive library daily as winter settled and while all of them seemed connected, none of them ever were. Whoever the two foxes had been that took the little half-breed child from the well had been, they were long gone and in Yuu, the trail had suddenly gone cold, as if they could have gone ten thousand different directions.

He could hardly make heads or tails of anything.

But he did, because that was who he was. Sesshoumaru was King of the Western Lands, and no one ever saw him flustered or sad except _her_, who was not dead because he had not yet given her permission to die. No one saw him angry except _him_, who was his brother, his daily sparring partner, and his enemy who could not die until he gave that permission.

Seirra fell away from him, slowly, as the days crawled by. She spent more time in her forest home than the castle, and when he did see her he felt something was different about her though he could not pin what it was.

Sango was gone, Kagome's pink haired demon was gone, Miroku had disappeared, Shippou had faded away, Rin was…dead. Tenseiga would not revive her, because it insisted the girl was alive, but though Rin breathed so shallowly she had not in five years moved. She did not rot like the dead, but she did not live like the living.

In a comatose state, she simply existed.

Sesshoumaru found his only solace beside Rin's bedside now. Seirra came only for the meetings that were called by Kaoi. Junokobi had to be forbidden to enter Rin's room, or even there Sesshoumaru would not get the peace he so desired.

It hurt to think that Rin was like this because of him, but somehow in the depths of his soul he knew it was his fault. She would be happy, alive, running through fields of flowers with her children by now if he had just left her in some human village.

And he couldn't even hold the girl who felt so much like a child of his own, because no one could touch her.

Just to be sure that he wasn't lying to himself, that he really couldn't touch her or hold her in his arms, he reached out and felt his hand touch a strange barrier that felt like jam. The barrier was invisible for the most part but every so often as he whispered his most secret thoughts to her, questions she'd always wanted to know as she grew up and followed him everywhere but he never answered, the barrier would shiver and a sparkle of another color would light across it, both beautiful and frightening.

Frightening because he felt the barrier get _stronger_ every time one of those sparkles would be there.

And Kagome… where was she? He drug one claw across the surface of the barrier, expecting there would be goop stuck to it as he pulled away but as usual there was not and Rin slept on, peacefully. Kagome would know what to do about Rin; she always had that big yellow bag filled with future miracle cures, but Kagome was not there.

Yes, Sesshoumaru knew of the bounty put out for Kagome, by Kaoi's orders and without Sesshoumaru's permission. But he did nothing to stop it, simply because Kagome was too stupid and stubborn to die.

But here, in this room, beside the human daughter he didn't help conceive, he was away from the reports that piled and piled and made no sense at all to anyone. He was an image, and felt like he'd faded away when he sat next to Rin's sleeping form. But this wasn't a problem, though it would seem like it.

Years ago, he might have fought against being a faded image; now, he knew it was better this way. The world didn't have to revolve around him.

Sleepily he rubbed his eyes. "I have not been sleeping well," he whispered to the sleeping girl, so low that Junokobi wouldn't hear through the door where he most likely stood. "And when I sleep, I dream that you are awake. And when I sleep, I dream that Naraku is no longer still somewhere out there, hiding. And… when I sleep… Kagome is still here." Sparkles of color lighted on the surface of the barrier as he talked, as usual.

Tiny flares of power rubbed against him, as if attempting to ward away his discomfort. He smiled; she tried to ward away his discomfort the first time he'd ever seen her too, back in that dark, miserable forest at the base of Kouga's mountains. She'd brought berries, nuts, and water, and he had stated he didn't eat her food.

She'd still tried though. She'd brought fish and water. She'd risked the anger of the villagers in her little town, stealing the fish, for _him. _

"But, Kagome is in her world now," he murmured thoughtfully. Again he reached out, this time trying to touch one of those sparkles of color. "And now, I know I still have to worry for her safety even in her world… _Big sister_… Will she come back to me, Rin? Will you come back to me, Rin? _My child_…"

As he touched one of those flickering lights, it reached out like a tentacle, stretching to wrap his fingertip in a gentle embrace, but sleeping beauty slept on, regardless of how much he wanted to just shake her until she no longer slept.

_"Please be alright… both of you… I can't… I can't lose you…" But regardless, she did not wake, and he did not speak aloud the reason why he couldn't lose them._

* * *

**My stories have taken on a darker note it seems. I will let you know now that this story is nearing its final days. I'm not sure if we'll make it to 200 chapters. But the chapters are also becoming longer. There's still a few tricks up my sleeve, a few more twists, but the end is very close upon us.**


	190. Dreams of Reality

**Title: Tie Me to the Future**  
Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Gaming conventions are fun. TK went to one and knows so!_

Chapter 190: Dreams of Reality

It had been almost six months since she'd joined with the monster and returned through the well. She still worked for Osage in his little forge out in the woods, but since winter had settled he placed her with him in the forge.

She'd learned quickly to carve bows, make the wooden staffs for pikes, tridents, scythes and all numbers of other weapons, and she learned how to do fletching. She did this in the mornings, and in the afternoons she went to see Xiu Mei where the woman would paint her face so the markings of her authority were invisible and then she would help in the shop there.

Osage hadn't yet said she'd done enough work for him to get a weapon out of him, so she didn't want to leave until that weapon was made. She'd been practicing flying and using the spectrum-colored and mysterious power that wanted to bend to her all winter. She even felt she'd grown really efficient at using that power too, with no former training in it.

The priestess power inside her and the spectrum power both were two very different forces. She could feel them both as separate entities inside her; the power of the priestess was so confined and stiff and immovable. The spectrum power flowed like blood did through her body, as free as it wanted to.

More and more she heard rumors in Xiu Mei's shop about foreigners arriving in Yuu. Kagome even saw many of them as she walked the streets at night on her way back to Osage's. She had no doubt they were the lord of Yuu, Oshmage's, hired mercenary army. After six months, it was strange how people in the capital didn't realize what was up. The city of Yuu was bursting at the seams.

Then again, Lord Oshmage wasn't stupid; he kept the same amount of warriors in his castle to guard himself and his lady. If Lord Oshmage had let his mercenaries into his castle then most certainly something would be noticed.

"Yeh're back early t'night," Osage said as she entered his hut. She noticed he was suiting up and she wondered what for. He was loading himself with many of the types of weapons that made up Xiu Mei's shop.

"Where are you going?" she asked him. He grinned at her but didn't tell her. She asked again. "Osage, where are you going?"

He kept moving around his hut, picking up weapons and adding them to his already packed gear. It was amazing how he managed to put the weapons on his body so he could easily grab anything no matter what it was.

"I'm go'en t' th' capital." He said after a few moments. "Yeh'll be safest 'ere if yeh wanna stay. Money's und'r th' futon roll."

"To the capital?" she asked, knowing she couldn't hide her surprise. "What for?" He'd explained that the one place for an outlaw to never be caught was in the capital, and in order to avoid that, outlaws simply stayed away.

"Yeh ain't seen it?" Osage inquired. "Yeh got me thinkin'. I talked t' some guys who knows some guys who knows a guy that knows a girl who's th' woman o' a guy," Kagome held up her hand to stop him. Boy, that was just plain confusing. Didn't people know how to make sense?

"Wait," she said, "can you make that any simpler? Noble talk, like?"

Osage grinned again, "Oh, yah. Uh, th' big guy o' th' outlaws. I got t' talkin' t' 'em. Bu' ident'ties gotta be protected, yah?"

The hut flap opened and two people entered. One was Xiu Mei dressed for traveling, but her weapons were more discrete on her body, only outlines showing if she moved. The other was someone who Kagome didn't know. He took one glance at Kagome and a look of surprise crossed his face. "You!" he scowled at her, as if he knew who she was even beyond the face paint she still wore.

She looked behind her to be sure he was talking to her and not some strange ghost behind her. Osage was on the other side of the hut and Xiu Mei was behind him, so it was impossible for the newcomer to be speaking to anyone else. "Um, me?" she inquired.

"Osage!" the newcomer whined, his blue-green hair falling in his eyes as he hung his head. His fingers gripped his halbard so tight that his knuckles turned colors. "You somehow failed to mention that she"—he pointed at Kagome with his halbard and she had to step back in order to halt being impaled—"would be here."

Osage feigned a look of innocence. "Bu' Junokobi, I ain't got no clues wha'chu're talkin' of."

"I can't pretend I didn't see her," Junokobi said. She frowned, looking closer at Junokobi. He looked awfully familiar, and those iceberg colored eyes reminded her of someone.

Xiu Mei slapped Junokobi companionably on the back. "O' course yeh kin!" she said cheerfully. "Ain't much hard. See, I already forget!"

Kagome remembered then. "Touya!" she said. She received strange glances from the three and immediately closed her mouth. It wasn't entirely impossible to believe that Touya had not yet been born.

Osage explained, "This's th' big guy I says I talk t'." He grinned and checked the security of his weapons on his body. "'E's no outlaw—least, yet anyway. 'E likes t' pretend 'e protects th' Western King."

Kagome opened her mouth to ask how he could pretend when Junokobi growled, "I protect him!" defensively. He sounded very much like Inuyasha in that one instant. "He's always asking me to go where he goes because he appreciates my help!"

Xiu Mei teased, "Then what fer? 'E came without yeh t' Yuu."

Junokobi puffed his chest up importantly and said, "He would have taken me along except those two idiots are always destroying the castle! He needed me to stay behind to," laughter cut him off.

Xiu Mei and Osage were laughing hard and holding their sides. Kagome smiled at the sight of a frustrated Junokobi. She could guess the 'two idiots' to be Inuyasha and Kouga. "You mean," Kagome asked, every inch of her a polite young lady, "he wanted you to guard the castle and baby-sit the children. Certainly that is a _very_ important task."

Junokobi nodded his head solemnly and Xiu Mei and Osage only laughed harder. Kagome couldn't help but let a small giggle escape. "Exactly!" he then paused, "Wait a minute. You're making fun of me too!"

The two laughing outlaws tried to stop but only ended up starting again. When they had settled, Kagome asked, "If you are close to Sesshoumaru, you should be able to tell Sesshoumaru whatever it is yourself. Osage need not risk his neck over information."

Junokobi frowned thoughtfully. "It's not that easy. Lord Oshmage had my cousin killed. If I speak of bad things brewing, even being as apparently unrespected in the underworld as I am, they'll think I've got a grudge against Oshmage, and even though I do, I'm supposed to be noble and above that."

"Then," Kagome said, "this is about Lord Oshmage and the brewing uprising?"

"Correct. Plus, most people at the castle simply think I'm stupid and a brawler. Can't say I have done anything to dissuade that line of thought. I'm a brawler and only half-stupid." He grinned, inviting them to share at his joke. Osage grinned and Xiu Mei giggled.

Kagome's smile turned upsidedown though. "Osage need not go. I can go. I need to return to the capital anyway." She remembered Osage's promise for a weapon and looked at him. He nodded as if he knew what she was thinking.

Junokobi said, "You? You'd never make it to His Majesty alive. Kaito has his spies everywhere and they know everything."

Kagome gave him an ironic smile, "Then I suppose I must also keep away from Kaito's spies, mustn't I? How long would it take to get to the capital if I walked?" Junokobi looked at her, up and down. Then he held up five fingers. "Five days?"

"Five weeks." Junokobi corrected her. "You'd be too late."

Kagome raised one eyebrow curiously at Junokobi. "But Osage is also human."

"You're a woman," Junokobi said with prejudice. Xiu Mei send a glare of offense at Junokobi.

Kagome snorted a very unlady-like snort. "I hadn't noticed. Now, protector of the King's Castle, why don't you go home. I'll be along shortly."

Junokobi pursed his lips. "Kaoi was right; you really are annoying." There was a hint of a threat in his voice that he would get the king's guards on her tail.

"Ah, but if you turn me in," Kagome said sweetly, "I'll be sure to tell them all about you and your double agent gig. I'm sure they'd be interested to catch the king of the outlaws. That is what you would be called, isn't it?" Her smile radiated charm and she knew as he squirmed uncomfortably that she was being heard.

He grumbled about it a little more and Osage said, "Xiu Mei 'n' me'll go wit' 'er anyways, Junokobi. T'geth'r all us'll get th' job done."

"You don't need to put yourself on the line," she said to the two as Xiu Mei nodded her agreement to the plan of action. "I'll be fine on my own. Better, in fact, and I do not want company." She had every intention to fly and while she knew Xiu Mei could probably use her wings to fly too, Osage didn't even know she had wings. She wanted to keep it that way.

Aside from that, while she was positive she could guarantee her own safety, she could not for the other two. And Sesshoumaru would probably listen to her—unless of course he hated her for disappearing again, which wasn't completely unbelievable.

Xiu Mei turned to speaking her native tongue, likely so the others wouldn't understand. "I'm sure you would rather fly to get there faster." Kagome nodded. "Osage flies too. We will not slow you down, Lady Priestess." Kagome sighed when she saw she was losing the argument. They wouldn't back down and that was clear. If she went off in the middle of the night, they would catch up because they would know her ultimate destination.

"Alright, then." Kagome looked at Junokobi and spoke Japanese to him. He looked quite befuddled. "Hurry back to the capital. I'll be along shortly."

"So when these upstarts attack my liege, I can blame you." Junokobi snapped. "Because you'll never make it there in time." He swept out of the hut.

Osage said, "Yer weapon, then. We'll make it." Xiu Mei settled herself down on the futon, lying on her stomach. Kagome knew that Xiu Mei would be stretching her wings out as much as possible. Kagome wondered if Xiu Mei's words that Osage flies meant that Osage too had been cursed by someone.

By noon two days later, Kagome had a sword forged by both her spectrum colored magic and Osage's hand. He didn't seem to notice her magic going into the sword as he forged it, but that was mostly because of the flickering orange-red light illuminating the forge. He had said he wanted her to forge it, but after several ruined tries, he simply took over and told her that watching would be just as good as doing.

They had put Osage's forge to fire earlier so that if Lord Oshmage began to wonder why his monthly shipment of weapons hadn't arrived, it was because a fire had permanently put Osage out of business. With the amount of snow and damp around, the trees remained safe and the fire burned only the forge, not the hut, before it was extinguished.

The three were especially careful to leave no trace of a departure behind. They walked first to Yuu on the path that—after being walked by Kagome daily—had already been pounded free of snow. They wanted it to appear that Osage had died in a fire, so they made things look like Osage had been preparing stew for evening supper.

Just before arriving in Yuu they came to a crossroad. One way led to Yuu and Lord Oshmage. If they took the road that went south and then veered east, Osage explained they would be in Evil Eye Demon Territory. When she asked what that was he explained that a demon with the ability to traverse through the bowels of time itself ruled that land with the help of two of his three sons. Demons went there with their human wives to live accepted, but mostly half-breeds lived there, happily with others like them.

She couldn't help but wonder how things would have been if Inuyasha had found that place as a child. Inuyasha and his mother.

The north-leading road followed the border north to Bus and Lord Potega, another bad noble according to Kagome's new companions. They skirted around the city Bus and headed northwest. It was slow going for a while, but Kagome decided it was better than someone seeing a mysteriously flying figure in the sky and thinking she was Superman. Not that anyone here would know who Superman was, but…

After the sun had set, they paused on the road and Xiu Mei wrapped her arms and legs around Osage as if she were to be piggy backed. Kagome watched in amazement as she realized, "You've done this before."

Osage grinned, crouched, and lept into the sky. Xiu Mei responded in turn, her wings appearing and beginning to flap in powerful beats, making the snow dance around Kagome. "O'course. Xiu Mei's a good friend o' mine."

Kagome smiled, adjusted her sword on her hip and the makeshift sack of extra clothes for them all on her back to be sure it wouldn't hinder her wings, and said, "Keep surprising me and you'll make my head spin." She knelt down and then pushed herself off the ground with both her hands and feet. She didn't let her wings show themselves, instead she flew higher and higher.

The sight she saw was breathtaking. The moonlight washing over the snowy land turned blue and cast a serene glow that the biting wind couldn't even stop. Osage and Xiu Mei were close on her heels as she went toward where her heart told her the ugly castle was.

**-elsewhere-**

"Hey, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha barked across the room before he was even half way through the door. Sesshoumaru looked up from the papers Kaoi and the Lord Provost was showing him to favor his brother with a blank stare. Behind Inuyasha trailed Kouga, and from their looks, Sesshoumaru supposed the two had been fighting in a courtyard again. Both had multiple bleeding wounds covering them though neither seemed too bothered.

Kaoi scowled at their presence. Junokobi had been sent away hours ago by Sesshoumaru because he was far too annoying, and neither Kaoi nor the Lord Provost were comfortable around Kaito, so the meeting was supposed to be just Sesshoumaru, Kaoi, and the Lord Provost dealing with the matter of the increasing amount of banditry and the rising prices the merchants were charging.

The Lord Provost frowned, "You must address His Majesty properly, whelp." Strict on the ways of old, the Lord Provost was definitely not a progressive thinker.

Inuyasha puffed his chest up and said, "Well, dumb ass, then you start calling me Prince or somethin' 'cause in case your old eyes didn't notice, I'm my dad's son!"

"Blatantly obvious," drawled Kaoi. He ignored Inuyasha and Kouga and pointed to the papers again. "Your Majesty, this is the description of what the recently captured bandits said the Bandit Killer looks like."

Sesshoumaru read over the paper and handed it to Kaoi. "Not interested. Send it to the scribes and see if there's a decent artist among them that can draw this." He pulled a map onto his already cluttered desk and made a circle with his finger. "This is where most of the recent sightings of her have been, correct?"

The Lord Provost nodded. "Correct. The last six months has proved her to have some reason to stay in the general vicinity around Yuu. I also got in a rather scrambled piece of information from one captured outlaw that she flies."

"Plus," added Kaoi, "there's this." He reached under the map, shuffled through the stack of papers, and pulled out a letter scroll. "It was given to the captain of the capital's nightwatch a few months ago. They only recently thought to bring it to my attention."

Sesshoumaru took the letter and briefly scanned the contents. It was from a fur-merchant's wife whose husband had apparently been murdered by a "cloak-wearing woman who killed bandits without mercy". It proceeded to speak of a young boy who "was like a son" to the fur-merchants and "was kidnapped and killed" as well. The fur-merchant's wife demanded compensation for her losses. The letter didn't sound upset as much as someone expecting a reward for death.

Sesshoumaru felt little sympathy for the fur-merchant's wife, but knew he had to do something about this. It was bad enough it had taken so long for him to get the letter in the first place and he wondered how many other disgruntled merchant and peasant letters—assuming the majority of the underclass could even read—did not reach him.

He handed the letter back to Kaoi. "Find the unhappy wife of the dead fur-merchant and bring her to me." Kaoi nodded and rolled the scroll up. From the way his lips were pursed, Sesshoumaru could guess accurately what the ex-regent was thinking. "Handle her gently." He ordered. "The last thing I need is yet another unhappy merchant to spread lies about my rule. Remember we rely on these people for the furs you sleep with."

"Yes, of course, Majesty." Kaoi bowed stiffly. He would have handled the situation much different. But apparently Sesshoumaru had ideas of his own.

"Are you guys done yammerin'?" Inuyasha demanded. "I got somethin' to say!"

Sesshoumaru looked at his brother. Inuyasha had been so quiet that he almost forgot the half-breed was there. "Then say it and quit annoying me."

Kouga blurted, "The Ambassador from the East is here to negotiate peace treaties!"

Sesshoumaru, Kaoi, and the Lord Provost all looked to the windows. It was still very dark outside; the only light came from the hearth and the torches along the walls and the candle on the desk. "It's after moonrise!" the Lord Provost said. "He wasn't supposed to arrive until tomorrow morning!"

"Well, that's not the only surprise," Inuyasha said. "Wait until you see her."

"Her?" Kaoi demanded. "A woman as ambassador? This is an outrage!"

The Lord Provost nodded his agreement. "An insult to not only our council and king, but to the kingdom itself!"

Sesshoumaru held his hand up for silence before they could get carried away and start a heated argument. Both Kouga and Inuyasha were raised in a rough-and-tumble peasant-like life where women were seen and heard—though perhaps not listened to. "Enough. We've heard the rumors of the ambassador; he"—he corrected himself—"she has negotiated to get many of the clans in the East under the new king's banner. Woman or not, she will be seen."

"Not tonight," Kouga said. "She's sleepin'."

Inuyasha added, "She was sleepin' when the caravan arrived. She's gonna need a room to stay in. We were gonna put her in Kagome's room for now, but the captain of the watchguard said we gotta ask you."

"By all means," Sesshoumaru watched as Kaoi's face turned purple at Kagome's name. "Put her there. If I am not mistaken, my father used to place all ambassadors in that wing of the house anyway." He blew out the candle on the desk.

Kaoi said, "It is custom that the king meet the ambassador upon arrival!"  
"It must really bother you then that I don't care…" Sesshoumaru drawled. Inuyasha and Kouga began snickering. "This meeting is over." He looked at the Lord Provost. "Set two guards on the room for tonight." The Lord Provost nodded.

Sesshoumaru moved to leave the room and Kouga and Inuyasha followed him. "So tell me about the ambassador."

Inuyasha and Kouga shared a secretive grin. "Well, she's small." Inuyasha said.

"Really, really, _really_ small." Kouga added. "And other than she's a half-breed, she's the spitting image of Kagome! Just small."

"Incredibly small." Inuyasha added.

"You both say all women are the spitting image of Kagome." Sesshoumaru muttered. "So basically, neither of you is helpful in the least."

"We try not to be." Inuyasha said.

Kouga nodded. "Yeah. It's bad for the skin."

Sesshoumaru growled, "Idiots." He made his way to his chambers.

**-elsewhere- **

They stopped at dawn and landed in a clearing with a hotspring. It was small; Kagome noted that a hottub was larger than it. But it was warm and soothed her sore muscles. They took turns washing; two kept guard and one bathed. Once they had all had a chance in the water, they huddled together by a frozen fire and tried to warm up.

It was harder to do for Kagome and Xiu Mei, who had to contend with soaked wings and the frigid air. To keep their minds off the cold, they talked to each other though it didn't help all that much. They all knew they were freezing.

"Who is Junokobi, anyway?" Kagome asked of the two assassins.

Osage and Xiu Mei looked at each other for a moment, as if wondering amongst themselves whether or not they could trust her. Kagome didn't bother trying to make them believe her anymore, because it seemed like too much effort. After all, outlaws really weren't to be trusted, were they?

"'E's th' King's royal guard. 'Is family always protected th' kings o' th' west." Osage said. His nose was bright red and his lips were as blue as Kagome and Xiu Mei's lips. Kagome guessed that was probably common knowledge.

Xiu Mei added, "'Is father was killed, 'round th' same time's King 'Nuta'shou died."

"King who?" Kagome wondered if that was Sesshoumaru's grandfather.

Osage saw her confusion and explained, "Th' new King's father."

Oh, she thought. It was sometimes very difficult to contend with Osage and Xiu Mei's speech. "I see… How did he end up being a part of this, underworld was it?" The underworld was something that really had her curious. It sounded like the mafia—something she was almost too familiar with. She'd been killed twice in her youth by the mafia; her guardian angel Mokuhi had revived her both times.

"'E ne'er wanted it." Osage said.

"'E accidentally killed th' last king o' th' underworld," Xiu Mei told her. "Least what I heard happened. Tha's how yeh gedda be king. Yeh kill th' old one."

Kagome blinked. "Does that make sense?" she asked them. "And no one argues with this way of choosing kings?"

Osage gave her a wry look. "Anyone's got problems wit' it, they can try killin' th' king an' take o'er. Don't happen much, but many try their luck."

Kagome mulled over this information. Why did Touya join the military anyway? She wondered. He was kicked out of the military because he was cursed like her with what he called the Curse of the Black Wings or the Black Wings Curse or something like that, so after that he joined bandits and assassins—the underworld?—but what came before that?

Where were Touya's parents? Was Junokobi Touya's father, or a relation at all? Thinking about Touya inevitably brought Akari to mind. What was Akari doing at that moment? Was she happy with Hiei? Oh, now Hiei was in her mind again and that brought Kohaku to mind because hadn't Kagome betrayed Hiei with Kohaku?

Did that really count, since Kohaku wanted her to be Kikyou?

She tried pulling herself out of her imminent gloom and said, "Tell me more about Oshmage and his mercenaries. You do know more, don't you?" If she was going to deliver the information, she needed to know as much as possible. All she knew so far was that Oshmage was a fire demon who had sex with an ice maiden, killed the ice maiden and used the daughter's pearl drop tears to fund the—"Oh dear heavens and, Hiei!" she blurted just as Xiu Mei was about to speak.

"Bu' we said nothin'," Osage said.

"No!" Kagome stood. "No, that's not how it happened, or how it was supposed to." She was pacing in no time at all, her wings bristling irritably. "Bratling boy? It has to be him, and the little girl? Her, it's her, his sister." Hiei had a sister—a twin sister—who he wanted to talk to so very long ago. Why was this only coming to her now?

"Lady, what's—" Xiu Mei trailed off and cocked her head at Kagome.

"But this means," Kagome pulled out the shard of the jewel that was once Kohaku's. "It must mean that memories were manipulated… What if what I saw of his memories were not true?" She shuddered. She'd seen how Miroku _remembered_ things, but that did by no means make that the true ending to her story.

She groaned. Where is my much-deserved happily-ever-after?

Hiei remembered his parents—whoever they were—being slaughtered by bandits. He remembered his real mother had been killed by angry ice maidens after she abandoned him in a forest. What if… what if his memories weren't really… _his_?

But what she was living now was that—far too coincidentally—a fire apparition had children with an ice maiden. Boy. Girl. Hiei? Hiei's twin sister? That much happened in Hiei's memory. But then the story was slightly altered in reality. The ice maiden took her children and ran away from the abusive fire apparition. The fire apparition retaliated violently and killed the ice maiden, framing things to look like she was murdered by other ice maidens.

The boy was left for dead; likely because his opposing elements would kill him. The little girl was kidnapped. "I have to go find out," Kagome said to really no one at all. "If it's really…" She sighed and looked at the other two. "I can't leave the story like this."

They seemed to have gathered enough information; as assassins it was apparent they were taught to read between the lines. "I ne'er liked Oshmage," Xiu Mei said. "We should bring 'is head t' th' king on a platt'r."

Osage grinned and stood, stretching. "Yeh, I like th' idea meself."

Kagome was surprised at them, but surprises were good all around it seemed. She shook her head. "You both enjoy this very much." She commented. Xiu Mei wrapped herself around Osage's body again and they took flight. Xiu Mei's wings created a wind burst that doused the fire instantly, leaving only smoldering logs. Kagome followed them into the sky.

**-elsewhere- **

The next morning, Sesshoumaru woke up to the sound of arguing. Considering his bed couldn't argue with his walls and if it could he did not want to know, he had to think of alternative conclusions as to who or what was arguing.

Usually he was able to discern who it was simply by hearing their voices, but their voices were exceptionally groggy. Or maybe he was the groggy one. Either way, he knew he had to get up and shut them up if he was ever going to sleep again, but he lacked any motivation to actually get out of bed.

It was with great irritation that Sesshoumaru threw back the covers and prepared for the day. When he opened his door and saw that Kouga and Inuyasha were shouting jeers at each other outside where he was trying to sleep, he was sure he would have a very bad day indeed.

He stalked by the fighting canine demons and muttered, "With as much as you two fight, you may as well be a married couple." At least that thought brought him some amusement.

Breakfast was brought to him in Rin's room as usual. He sat by her bed and ate two apples for breakfast while he talked quietly to her. "I must be honest," Sesshoumaru told the unconscious girl. "I am surprised Junokobi is not around. Usually I am tripping over him all day."

He had noticed the ice demon's distinct lack of appearance that morning and while it really didn't bother him much, he was curious if something had happened to the annoyance. But since none of his small-talk evoked a response from sleeping beauty, he decided it was time to meet the ambassador. He—_she_—was probably waiting for him.

He tossed the apple cores out into the courtyard for the birds through the window. In moments he had made it to the ice-cold council chamber. He was surprised to find Kaito with papers strewn over the large table-map. A glance at them proved them to be old treaties. Further investigation showed them to be old treaties with the East from when Sesshoumaru's grandfather ruled.

"Ah!" Kaito chuckled and stretched, yet managed to keep from actually straightening his back. It simply annoyed Sesshoumaru that Kaito slouched all the time, and it gave _him_ a backache just looking at his elder. "Majesty. 'Is Majesty o' th' East sent us a cute ambass'dor! Bit shy, though, I say."

Sesshoumaru raised one eyebrow. "Has everyone met hi—_her_—but me?" It was difficult to remember that the ambassador was female. For the most part, men were in power and women cooked the food. That was the way of the world. Women did not venture into the realm of men, and men did not venture into the world of women. Only the Demon Exterminator clans had been so progressive.

Sesshoumaru had to be forced to see that women could be strong too; and even now it was still hard to believe.

Kaito sent Sesshoumaru a rather coy grin. "No, bu' I'd be a pauper." He handed a sheaf of papers to Sesshoumaru, bound in twine. "That's e'er'thin'. I cannae find nothin' else on 'er. Bu' I'm sure yeh'll find some'o'it interestin'."

A soft knock sounded on the door and a trembling servant shuffled in on his knees. He kept himself prostrate as much as possible and mumbled, "Majesty, the council awaits your arrival in the throne room."

"The throne room?" Sesshoumaru asked. "But in my father's reign, the ambassador always met the king in the council room."

Kaito slapped a powerful hand on Sesshoumaru's back, almost making the young king stumble in his step. He beamed, "Pre-war, Majesty. Pre-war!"

Sesshoumaru sighed. He'd have a hand-shaped bruise on his back for days; Kaito didn't know his strength. "Great." He stepped over the servant and made his way toward the throne room. "Does noone realize the throne has not been used in over a hundred years?" He would have dust-bunnies clogging his pores for years to come.

Kaito laughed and followed him, leaving the papers to lie. The majority of the council was present in the throne room. As he suspected, no one had cleaned in the throne room for over a century, since he was five. Dust, webs, and other signs of disuse were also present. He declined the offer to sit on his throne and instead ordered a servant to bring in some comfortable cushions.

"Your Majesty! You must sit on the throne!" Kaoi urged. "It is _custom_."

Inuyasha and Kouga immediately settled themselves down on cushions as the servants brought them. Sesshoumaru made himself comfortable; he figured he probably wouldn't get to go anywhere for a while. Kaito lay himself out on several cushions and yet somehow still managed to slouch.

"It is custom for one who wears white not to get dirty." Sesshoumaru drawled. "I have said many times before that what used to happen probably will not now. I am 'kingly' as Kagome used to say." He relaxed on his cushions he could have fallen asleep right then if it weren't for the biting cold.

"She also mentioned—several times—that you were very stuck on yourself." Seirra muttered, though every one of the council heard her. "Seems she was right. If you will all excuse me, I have grown tired of this squawking."

"Hey, Seirra!" Inuyasha yelled. "Only one here who can insult Sesshoumaru is me! If you got a bug up your ass, pull it out and shut up!"

She ignored him and Sesshoumaru watched her walk out. He just couldn't put his finger on it, but something was very different about her. And he was losing her.

Kaoi remained standing. The Lord Provost said, "Someone needs to remain focused on the kingdom's safety." He took with him the lesser members of the council. That left Kaoi, Kaito, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Kouga in the room.

"So, send her in?" Sesshoumaru said to Kaoi. "Since you're still standing, you may as well." The man growled and didn't look happy in the slightest to be lowered to a station similar to the servants.

Kaoi stalked out of the room to fetch the ambassador. It was a good ten minutes before they heard the approaching footsteps. They all thought, 'What an odd foot pattern… sounds like… skipping?'

Kaoi entered and said, "Presenting Her Ladyship, Grand Princess of Inmoushi"—he muttered under his breath, "that sounds entirely too made up," and continued, "Secret-Keeper of the Eastern Lands, and Eastern Ambassador for the Western Lands…"

Sesshoumaru muttered to his remaining council, "Tell me he does not sound extremely bored with his life," and received chuckles from all three men on the cushions.

Kaoi continued, "Akari Dekage, and her personal guard," he looked at the doorway that was extremely _not_ occupied. "Hiei."

To surprise Sesshoumaru far too much, a little girl skipped into the room. Her mouth was moving in a childish 'la la la' way, but no sound came out. She stumbled several times, and it was clear that her clothes were purposefully made for durability not elegance. "Is this the ambassador?" he asked his brother.

Her little brown eyes sparkled with ribbons of color. Black hair covered her head except two clumps of hair over her brow, one fire-red, the other ice-blue. She had a big smile on her face as she looked at the not-very-majestic throne room with amazement. Her blue stockings and blue kimono was streaked with dust around her knees, elbows, and wrists.

The girl really was tiny. She wasn't tall enough to hold the adult's hand without him slouching, so she had fisted her fingers in his hakama. Her head came barely to his knee. It looked like her long curly hair had once been done up neatly but it was falling out of its pins like it desired only freedom. She carried a doll that was a foot and a half tall; the doll was dressed exactly like the ambassador; the only difference was that the doll's hair was still done neatly.

"See?" Inuyasha bragged, "I told you she looks exactly like her!"

Sesshoumaru tilted his head to get a better look at the girl. "She does," he conceded, and Kouga and Inuyasha grinned at each other. Cushions were dropped on the floor by a few servants; one for the ambassador and the other for her personal guard.

Sesshoumaru observed her guard. He was perplexed that the Eastern King would send a little child as an ambassador, but it wasn't impossible that the goal was to confuse Sesshoumaru. He certainly was confused. The man, Hiei, was clearly a no-nonsense type of person. His cold eyes spoke volumes of 'touch and die', though it was unclear whether that attitude was only for his being or if he would give his safety up for the child.

Hiei was carefully taking in every inch of the room, from the servants hidden in the shadows to the guards stationed around the room to the royals on the cushions. His eyes paused on the empty throne, then he looked at Sesshoumaru and a smirk tilted his lips just slightly.

Sesshoumaru wondered about the bandana on the guard's head. His black hair stuck up in the air like a flame and had an iceberg colored star streaking upward through it. His crimson eyes were that of a killer, not a baby-sitter. His aura was powerful, but so was the child's. Together their auras mingled and wrapped around each other, whether or not they knew it was happening.

It wasn't entirely unbelievable that the child was the half-breed that appeared in Kagome's well; she was part ice element, part fire element, and half-human just like the child Kaede said she'd found. That she was found in Kagome's well made Sesshoumaru wonder if she really was related to Kagome at all.

Sesshoumaru said to his companions, mostly to Kouga and Inuyasha, as the guard and ambassador bowed, "You need not stay." Inuyasha scoffed at the dismissal and Kouga crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. "Fine, suit yourself. But when you get bored, do not whine to me."

The two were prideful and stubborn and refused to budge. Sesshoumaru didn't care. He looked to his guests and said, "Welcome to the Western Kingdom. I trust you slept well?"

The guard grabbed the ambassador's hand as she finally rested her eyes on Sesshoumaru. She looked excited, as if she wanted to run to Sesshoumaru. "Akari Dekage slept fine. I did not sleep." Hiei said bluntly.

"I was talking to the ambassador," Sesshoumaru pointed out calmly as he sniffed the air. His eyes rested on the girl again; she even smelled like Kagome. His brow furrowed as he wondered the likelihood that so many things were like Kagome.

"Let's just drop the formalities," the guard stated. He scooped the little girl up and she giggled voicelessly and hugged her guard with fond affection using her free arm. It was strange; the doll was almost as tall as her and looked to be made of porcelain, but she had no problem keeping hold of it. "I am not, nor would I wish to be, of noble descent, and she's five, so basically neither of us really care who gets spoken to."

Inuyasha muttered, "Gee, sounds like someone _else_ I know."

"Hey, mutt-face," Kouga said to Sesshoumaru, as rude as he usually was, "let's get this over with. I'm hungry."

Inuyasha said, "You had a chance to eat at breakfast." He sounded smug—he usually did when he pulled a prank.

"Yeah, and I would've too, 'cept an idiot threw my food out of a window!" Kouga growled. As usual, it didn't take much to get either of them riled up. It was at that moment that Sesshoumaru noticed Junokobi's distinct absence. Usually by then Junokobi would interject and toss Kouga and Inuyasha into a courtyard to sort out their differences.

"Hm," Sesshoumaru frowned, but he ignored his brother and Kouga as they glared at each other. At least they were showing considerable restraint at the moment. "Indeed. I am Sesshoumaru, presiding King of the Western Lands. Have a seat and explain why the East would send a female child as ambassador. It does strike as indecent."

Hiei settled on a cushion and the little girl settled in his lap. "Decent or indecent, it doesn't matter. Let's just get this over with. I want to take her for a walk before nightfall."

Sesshoumaru felt that frown smooth out; he liked this guard. Normally he would be kept awake for a long time, arguing points that need not be mentioned. "Indeed," he said.

The child traced her fingers on the guard's arm and he spoke only when she stopped touching his arm. He reached into his black haori and pulled a scroll out. "We were first told to give this to you." He tossed the parchment across the space between them. Sesshoumaru caught it and opened it. Inuyasha tried to peer over Sesshoumaru's shoulder and read it but the half-breed couldn't read that well yet due to his long break in tutoring during his childhood and the fact that he wouldn't meet with his tutor _now_.

**Under the scarlet moon, find me bathed in a beloved one's blood. Bring to me the Priestess of the Jewel if you desire freedom. **

The note was not signed, but Sesshoumaru had no doubt who it was. He asked Kaito, "What day of the moon is it?"

"T'night's th' new moon," Kaito held out one long hand toward Sesshoumaru and Sesshoumaru handed the piece of parchment over. "A riddle?"

"What's it say?" Inuyasha demanded while Kouga snickered at Inuyasha's ignorance—though he couldn't read a single word either.

"Thank you," Sesshoumaru said to Hiei. Hiei nodded slightly and Kaito folded the parchment up and put it in his haori top. Sesshoumaru was distracted for the rest of the day. The letter smelled vaguely like...

**-That afternoon, Elsewhere- **

_She had graced the top of this cliff so many times that it was almost home to her now. Sometimes when she would stand here, someone she knew would join her. They wouldn't know it, but her mind would create them so that she wouldn't be alone, so that she could visit them, though they were only a piece of her mind. _

_Every time she came here, it was raining. She always did love the rain, and since it was her dream—because she could only ever face most of these people in her unconscience—she wouldn't have to worry about catching a cold. She could stay and dance until it was time to wake. This dream was like the others she had made, with rain pouring from a dark, lightning-lit sky, and gusty winds tearing at her soggy clothes. _

_She spun gaily on the edge of the cliff without worrying about falling; she had wings now and whether they were wet or not, she could still fly. Somehow a fear of heights seemed silly for a bird to have. _

_And no different than most of the other dreams she'd had, she had a visitor. She'd dreamt of him thousands of times before, both nightmares and pleasant dreams—and sometimes fantasies that she'd known could never happen in life. His hair wasn't stuck up like a flame in this dream. He was muddy; she liked reality in her dreams, even though in life she desired to live a fantasy other than her own. _

_"Is it too much to ask," she inquired of her dream-guest as she spun again with her arms wide, "that my life be less complicated?" She turned course and headed in his general direction. She slipped in the mud, and he chuckled at her and watched her topple over. _

_"Do you enjoy falling over," he asked, gazing at her with amused crimson eyes. "Or are you just that clumsy?" He'd visited her almost every other night for the past few months, since she'd decided to stay with Osage in his hut near Yuu. _

_"I enjoy it very much, thank you!" she replied and pulled herself out of the sticky muck of the cliff-top. She looked at her wings; instead of being black, they were brown now. He could see her wings and by now she knew this. His first visit to her dreams, he'd plucked a damaged feather out from her wing, just to prove he could see them. _

_"I'm beginning to see that," he chuckled again. "Perhaps I like that about you," he ran a clawed hand through her soaking locks and she put one hand over his, holding his hand to her head. She liked him in her dream, because in her dreams he knew she was sorry. _

_"You like that I fall over?" she demanded half-heartedly, staring up at him. He nodded with a grin firmly in place. "Well!" she pulled away from him and pointed at him with an accusatory finger, "Why don't you catch me then? The white knight always catches his princess in the stories." _

_"Sure," he laughed, "that's fine if you live in a fairy tale, Kagome. But this is reality, and I'm no white knight." _

_Kagome blinked at him. That was the first time he'd ever made reference to reality in her dreams. That was the first time anyone had ever made reference to reality in her dreams. She had surprised herself with his response. "Well, then what are you?" she wanted to know. What would her subconscience call him? _

_He looked thoughtful for a moment before seeming to come to a decision. "Devious," he said calmly. She raised an eyebrow at the innocent look he was giving her. "Very sinister," he added, as if devious hadn't said it all. "Because you think this is a dream, and I know otherwise. I stole your vision, Kagome," he leaned down to kiss her cheek and whisper in her ear over the howling winds, "and I recreated it with my Jagan." _

_"What do you mean?" Kagome asked. "This is how my dream has been for many years." She felt a frown creeping across her face. "I was having this dream even while I was pregnant with Akari. You can't tell me you created this." _

_He simply smiled at her; she wasn't sure if she should laugh at the attempt or be frightened by how deadly it made him look. He reached out to her and pulled her into his soaking embrace. He turned her so her back was to his chest. Her wings folded against her body, comfortably, becoming nearly unnoticeable. He pointed at the giant, ugly castle that Sesshoumaru lived in. _

_"Watch close," he said. He spread his fingers out and then the world began to spin. It was spinning so fast, she almost felt like she was on a Whirl-Y-Twirl at the fair. The only stability she felt she had was in the solid figure behind her. _

_They stopped spinning. In front of them was Kagome's little encampment; Xiu Mei and Osage were sleeping peacefully. Kagome watched herself sleep for a moment before attempting to turn her head and look at him. "What are you trying to prove?" She asked, "If anything, this just makes me more certain that you're a dream. If you were real, you'd hate me after all I did." _

_He laughed for a moment. She felt his arms wrap around her waist, pulling her closer still to him. "I tried hating you," he said. "It's just that you're too dumb to hate, and let me be the first to admit, I'm not one to find difficulty in hating anyone." _

_She squeaked in protest. "I'm not dumb!" she grumbled defensively. "Why does everyone call me dumb?" She felt his hands disappear from her figure and swiveled to look at him. "What are you doing?" _

_He was breaking long twigs from a low tree limb. He looked at her and grinned, "The truth is, I couldn't hate you if I tried. It's not my fault; I can honestly say I love you by accident." _

Kagome opened her eyes. She felt completely rejuvenated. She looked at the clearing, savoring the memory of her dream. The tree next to hers had twigs broken off. She looked at the ground and stamped a strangled, heartbroken sob down. There on top of the unbroken snowbank, twigs were lined in the shapes of words.

**Reality is much, much better.**

She looked around for him, but he was nowhere to be found. The snow was unbroken except where Xiu Mei and Kagome had landed, and where Osage and Xiu Mei had stepped to clear a spot on the ground.

It wasn't a dream. She leapt off the tree branch and opened her wings, flying up out of the clearing. She hoped to catch a glimpse of him somewhere. She didn't see him. Instead, she broke down the message he left for her; it was better if Osage and Xiu Mei didn't ask questions.

"Mornin' Lady," Osage yawned only seconds after she'd tossed the last twigs away. She turned to look at him.

Xiu Mei snorted as she woke up, and then yawned as well. "'Is evenin'," she stated. "We contin' on t' where?"

Realizing the question was directed toward her, she said, "Yuu. I'm going to confront Oshmage; I want you both to stay away from the castle, just in case I fail. If I do fail, someone will need to tell His Majesty what is going on in Yuu."

"They'll kill yeh if yeh're caught," Osage pointed out.

"I've made up my mind. This is what is right." She crossed her fingers behind her back and sent a silent prayer to Mokuhi, her guardian angel. He would bring her to life if she failed, she was sure of it.

Xiu Mei made a face. "Nobles," she huffed, but she nodded her understanding.

* * *

**"I guess it's just as well, not to know what's written in the stars..." - Blackmore's Night, Written in the Stars**


	191. Visit in a Dream

**Title: Tie Me to the Future**  
Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: TK had something cool to say, but then forgot what the heck she was going to say. Hm... _

**_Another damn long chapter..._**

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* * *

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Chapter 191: Visit in a Dream

"I'm going to leave you both here." Kagome told Osage and Xiu Mei. "Make your way to the capital and prepare yourselves. You'll need to find a way to sneak into the King's bedroom, or someplace that he goes to alone. After you find a way to do that, be careful not to get caught and bide your time. If I am successful, I'll be in the capital in a few days. If I fail, then in a few days if I haven't contacted you, you need to warn the King."

She looked at them to be sure they understood her. They didn't look confused, and Xiu Mei was already wrapping herself around Osage's body. Kagome smiled. "Thank you, for understanding." She whispered as they took flight, flying back toward the capital. She took one last look at where Hiei's message was, then took flight, smiling broadly.

"I don't know how it is possible," she muttered as her powerful wings took her toward Oshmage, "but I just know you're here supporting me."

She had made it to Yuu in a span of a few hours. Xiu Mei's hut was still there; they hadn't burned it. She entered through the back door and put the sack in there. The only thing she really needed was her sword. She wrapped her cloak around her and put the hood up.

Outside, the streets were nearly deserted, but it was well after midnight so she expected that. Those who were out this late were the city watch guardsman and the drunk or homeless. Even those mercenaries of Oshmage were not around, though where they had gone was unclear.

At the castle, she practically choked on the amount of corruption flowing from it. She turned away from the castle gate to follow the wall. Kagome knew waiting for dawn when the gates were open to all would not be smart. She watched the left wall for a few minutes, then crouched and crumpled the cloak up in her hands before shoving it in a niche. She couldn't fly with this one on, but it had served its purpose; keeping any of the city guards from seeing her face.

"Hey, you there. What are you doing?" She froze, but at the sound of another voice, she realized that no one had actually seen her.

"No-nothing, sir." Said a nervous voice; beggar from the sound of him.

Kagome waited until their footsteps faded, the guard dragging the beggar away. Once they had, she looked up again, then pushed off the ground. Her wings caught her and carried her upward. She coasted noiselessly across the night sky and carefully landed atop the castle of the lord. She watched the ground and timed the guards' movements so she wouldn't fly down in front of them.

A voice whispered to her, "Help…" It was a child's voice, crying, and it tore at Kagome just to hear it. She knew it was the little girl. She knew it was Hiei's sister. There was no other possibility in Kagome's mind, no one else that it could be.

Kagome checked her sword on its belt around her waist to be sure it was firmly attached before flying down behind one guard and noiselessly lighting on the ground. She folded her wings tight against her back and then pressed herself against the wall of the castle, into the shadows.

The guard didn't notice her. Once he'd left her vision, she looked at her palm, pooling the spectrum colored magic there until it was a sphere about the size of a baseball. "Find Oshmage." She told the ball, and dropped it on the ground. It splattered and reformed into a few dozen marble-sized spheres. She followed the spheres as they rolled across the ground, nearly losing them twice when she had to hide from approaching guards.

The spheres led her into the castle through a servant's entrance. A few servants were already awake and cooking the morning breakfast. The balls couldn't go further in here with the closed shoji door, so they waited at the door.

The servants looked at Kagome, all of them blinking as if they knew her from somewhere. Their activity died down. The state they were in bothered Kagome. She realized Oshmage was starving these people. One cook had bandages around a recently cut off hand. Several of the cooks had bruises on their persons. Not one of them had much more than scrap for clothing.

She felt a frown marr her features and stepped closer to one boy who was poking at the fire. She placed her cold fingers to a blackened eye. "This is ridiculous," she said. Before the boy could pull away from her, she let her magic flow into the black eye and the swelling went down. The discoloration disappeared.

"Amazin'!" one of the servants gasped. The boy touched his face, searching for his aches, but Kagome let enough magic flow into him to heal him completely. Another servant pulled the man with only one hand toward her.

"Can ya help 'em?" the young woman asked. It didn't seem to matter to them that Kagome was an outlaw, or perhaps they didn't know which seemed unlikely, but she nodded.

"I can't grow it back, but I can heal it and make the pain subside." She reached out and took his stub in hand, peeling the sullied bandages off carefully. When she saw it, she noticed immediately that it was infected. Without the bandages to catch the blood, it fell sluggishly to the floor and the man whimpered.

She let her magic wash over him; the first thing it did was burn the infection. The man tried to pull away, biting his lip to keep from crying out. "Hold still," she ordered him, and a few servants held him still. After the infection was burned away, the bleeding picked up, so she pushed her magic into healing the wound.

The servant's eyes widened as they watched many months worth of healing happened in the space of a few minutes. The skin grew and stretched over the stub and the man stopped crying at the end as the pain disappeared.

"Have any of you heard of a little ice maiden child, or know where Oshmage is keeping her?" Kagome asked.

The boy she'd healed nodded. "I take her meals to her, and escort her to the wash."

"Can you tell me where she is kept?" Kagome looked at the boy and knelt down to his level. He spoke very well for being a member of the lower class. It made Kagome wonder why. Beside that, while all of the people in the kitchen looked to be humans, he was a demon. Added to that fact was also that he was very young, probably Akari's age.

"Better." The boy said. "I can show you."

She smiled at him. "Then by all means," she said. She crossed the room and scooped up the marbles, holding the jittering, excited pieces of magic to her. "You continue on," she told the pieces. "I'll be along shortly." She opened the door and the marbled magic rolled out of her hand to clatter on the floor.

The boy slipped around her with a tray in his hands and walked quickly through the hall with his head down. Kagome looked at the other servants and placed her fingers to her lips, a warning to them to keep silent about her arrival. They all smiled and went about their work.

The boy led Kagome up several floors, and by that time Kagome could feel her magic had settled in another part of the castle. He kept glancing at Kagome out of the corner of his eye, and finally she asked him in a low whisper, "Yes?"

The boy looked startled that she had noticed his discrete looks. She smiled and said, "I have a daughter, probably about your age, that does the same thing to new people. It's hard to miss."

"I do not believe your daughter is my age," he said firmly. He stopped in front of a door that had no guards, which was surprising since Kagome thought all bad guys used guards. He set the tray down on the floor, looked both ways to be sure no one was around, and then pulled out some picks from his haori and began picking the lock.

Kagome picked up the tray for the boy and he soon had the door unlocked. He slid it open and the two of them entered. "Eijiroo," cried a little girl as quietly as she could as she threw herself across the distance. He hugged the girl and used his foot to kick the door shut. "I thought you forgot about me."

He chuckled. "No, I didn't forget. But we brought you some food. You must eat."

She looked warily at Kagome and the tray Kagome held. "Who is she?" she demanded.

"I'm not sure, but I know she's not here to hurt you. She has the power to heal, and it is a healer you need most." The boy, Eijiroo, turned to Kagome and said, "She won't admit it, but she's been hurt."

The girl turned scarlet to the roots of her blue hair. "I'm fine."

Kagome knelt down in front of her and put out her hands. "I know you're fine," she smiled reassuringly. "But you never know when you might not be. It's better to free yourself from your captors now than wait for them to hurt you and run away bleeding."

The girl shook her head. "Moma tried to run away with us, but they killed Moma instead. Papa said he sent men to kill big brother Hiei too, and if I try to run they'll kill me."

"What's your name?" Kagome asked the little girl. She had no doubt that she was living Hiei's real story, the one he didn't remember. Something had altered his memory of what happened, but she wasn't sure how.

She glanced nervously at Eijiroo as if worried she might tell a big secret, but Eijiroo said, "It's okay. See, those marks on her face mean she's the Western King's servant. And I will protect you too, so you don't have to worry."

"My name was Snow."

"Was?" Kagome asked.

"Eijiroo said I don't have to be Snow, because Snow is papa's daughter, and I don't like being papa's daughter."

"So what is your name now?"

"Yukina." It was with great hesitation that Yukina reached out and placed her small hands in Kagome's. "Will you help me find my big brother?"

Kagome smiled and carefully pulled the little girl to her. "I can't make that promise. But I will free you from Oshmage so that you have the opportunity to find him."

Eijiroo's flesh glowed momentarily, and Kagome watched as he grew in size, becoming distinctively larger and older. "How do you, a human, plan to get Yukina out if I have had trouble doing so for this long."

Kagome chuckled. "So you are older than you look, it seems. You were right, my daughter is younger." Kagome returned her eyes to the little girl and ran her hands over the girl's shoulders, pushing her magic through the skin to heal her. The spectrum magic obeyed her so freely that Kagome wondered if there was anything she couldn't do with it, while the magic of the priestess still ignored her.

"That does not answer my question." Eijiroo said.

Kagome picked Yukina up and balanced the girl on her hip as if she were Akari. "I'm simply going to walk out the front gate with her."

"You will be stopped. What makes you think Oshmage will let you go?"

Kagome couldn't help but laugh outright. "What makes you think Oshmage will have a choice? You're welcome to come."

Eijiroo ran a hand through his black hair and sighed. "If you believe you can do it," he trailed off.

"I don't believe. I know."

**-later- **

Oshmage snored. It was the first thing Kagome noticed about the man, the first thing that began to grate on her nerves. It was a heavy snore, punctuated with pig-like snorts and his smacking lips. The marbles of her power rolled across the floor and onto the futon, circling the man. Eijiroo held Yukina on his hip and stood in the corner of the room, watching Kagome with bright bubble-gum pink eyes, worried that whatever plan she had wouldn't work.

Kagome stepped across the room, kneeling on the bed. She didn't unsheathe her sword. She could feel her fangs as they lengthened, and the thirst of blood that she craved came back. The marbles parted for her and then once more closed around her and Oshmage. As they closed rank they started to multiply in size, forming together a large bowl-shaped barrier that was as see-through as the metal of her sword.

Oshmage woke as the barrier finished closing. He screamed. No one outside the barrier heard it.

**-later- **

Kagome and Eijiroo parted ways outside of Yuu. Eijiroo said he would take Yukina to a place where she would be safe, and that was good enough for Kagome. As it was, Kagome knew she was running out of time and her 'baggage' would slow her down considerably.

Kagome took a look at Oshmage and the scowl on his face. "You'll never get away with this." He said stiffly.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "We'll see about that." She told him.

**-elsewhere- **

Hiei smiled as the time to settle down for the night came. Akari was tired; her fire element was already growing stronger and starting war with her ice element, which wasn't good at all, but she wasn't quite suffering yet. She wasn't sleeping with a blanket anymore, despite the winter, and in the middle of the night she would sleepily cross the room and demand Hiei hold her.

With Akari sleeping, Hiei pulled his bandana off and prepared to search for Kagome's mind. It was still very far away from him, but now much farther away than last night. He wondered why. Was she running from him? Doubtful; if she realized he was here, she would realize Akari had to be as well.

Kagome had already fallen asleep, so he didn't have to suggest to her mind that she was tired.

_He slipped in her mind with little trouble at all and found her to be on her favorite cliff overlooking the ugly castle he was in. This time she was sitting on the edge of the cliff in the heavy rain, instead of dancing around like a fool. _

_He walked to her, sitting beside her. She was silent for a moment before she turned to look at him. He looked to view her expression; she was unhappy. "I'm a fool." He heard her say. "Everyone already knew that, but now I think I do too." _

_Hiei reached across the distance and pushed her soppy hair behind her ear. "What have you done now?" he asked. "This world has no toilets to blow up." _

_She laughed weakly. "No; I had the chance to take a traitor before justice, but the traitor outsmarted me." She reached out and embraced him, knocking them both back into the mud. She continued, "If I hadn't sent Yukina away with Eijiroo, who knows what would have happened. I just hope they crossed the border in time." _

_He froze for a second before embracing her waist. "Yukina?" he asked. "Who is that?" he tried not to let his heart race, but it was impossible. _

_"A little girl, an ice maiden. If I am not mistaken, she's your sister, and if that is so…" Kagome shifted so her nose was in the crook of his neck. "If that is so, then what you remember may not really be the truth…" _

_"So where are you now?" he asked her. _

_"Being paraded across the country in clothes I would never look at, much less wear, humiliated at every turn. Are you really here? With me? In the past, I mean?" _

_He nodded and said, "Yes. Akari went missing when you went mad. I followed the trail of her very distinct aura and it stopped in a well. A woman who looked like you, but older, tried to convince me not to follow, but I did anyway. I hopped into the well and the magic took me to another world. It took a while, but I found her. She was scared, but the fear went away when she saw me." _

_Kagome looked at Hiei with worry. "How is she now? Is she, okay? Is she talking again?" _

_Hiei shook his head. "No, she's not talking. Her voice is broken, so I'm not sure she'll ever talk again. But physically, she's for the most part okay. Her elements are growing stronger very quickly, but I think that's because they're fighting your magic too, or your magic is aiding the fight somehow." _

_Kagome fell silent and leaned on him again, the rain in her dream pouring down on them. She was quiet for so long that Hiei had to wonder if it were possible to fall asleep in a dream, but he lifted his head to glance at her and found her to be awake. Finally she spoke. _

_"Am I a horrible mother?" _

_He hadn't expected that. "What do you mean?" _

_"I've given my child blood that will wage war against itself. I got us locked away in a place where she was abused and tortured. And I told her she could never see her father. I'm a horrible mother." _

_Her shoulders shook. He rubbed her back and said, "No, Kagome. You're a better mother than you think. You brought Akari up as no other could. If her warring blood is anyone's fault, it's mine." _

_"But I let her be tortured!" Kagome cried with dismay. "How could I?" _

_"How could you have prevented that, Kagome?" he demanded, irritated now by her self-loathing. "Give me one way you could have done anything at all to stop it?" _

_"And I blamed you, and everyone else. I'm awful. I'm horrible!" _

_He had to reign in his temper; it wouldn't do to slap sense into her. He didn't need to give her a reason to hate him, even if it was only a dream. He said as calmly as he could, which wasn't very much, "Keep crying and I'm going to shut you up." There, he warned her. _

_"Akari probably hates me. I wish you would hate me, because I was so horrible to—" _

_Hiei had had entirely too much. He had insisted that it wasn't her fault already, so what more did she want from him? He wouldn't harm her physically. He might beat on Keiko, but that was Keiko. He still didn't understand Kagome, what made her tick, or her complex thought patterns. Deciphering her was like a rubix cube. No one could do those things anyway. _

_He flipped her over, straddling her waist. He locked her hands above her head. She looked at him with wide, blood-shot eyes that constantly shifted colors. She looked a little more than shocked. "What—" _

_He leaned down and said, "I told you, when I'm here, this becomes my world to manipulate." He told her. A frown marred her features, and it brought a grin to his face. "Does it bother you that I'm controlling what happens in your head?" Certainly he found it a bit ironic, since she did it to him once. _

_"You jerk," she growled in a low, animalistic voice. She began struggling in his hold. "Let me go." _

_"Why don't you free yourself? I'm comfortable." He chuckled, but wondered of her wings. Even though it was a dream, he knew she had wings, and he could see the invisible appendages outlined by the mud. She didn't seem like the position hurt them though. _

_"When I get free, I'm going to—" _

_"What, Kagome," he asked. "You'll what?" _

_"I'll—" _

_He leaned down and caught her lips with his own. It might only be a dream of hers that he had invaded, but even in her sleep, she talked entirely too much. As he kissed her, he thought of what Keiko had once said. 'Grow a few inches.' He'd grown a few inches, and he'd gotten his Jagan back, courtesy of Mitsuko. Now his elements were balanced and he was in complete control again. _

_He loved it when things went his way. _

_She'd stopped struggling momentarily, but when he pulled away from her she seemed to realize she was fighting against him and continued half-heartedly. "Release me this instant!" _

_He grinned. "The best part is when I tell you 'no' because you can't do anything about it." _

_She stopped fighting, and a smile crossed her face that he wasn't entirely sure he liked. "Perhaps you do control this world," she said sweetly. He raised an eyebrow at her. "But when I find you, you're going to be very sorry indeed. I have a very pretty, new sword that I want to try out and I think I'll sharpen it on you." _

_He was surprised when she suddenly disappeared from her dream world, but a grin was plastered on his face as he returned to his body. He couldn't wait to see her again._

**-A few days later- **

Sesshoumaru couldn't stop a yawn as he entered the throne room even later than Inuyasha. He wasn't usually one to be late, but he kept thinking there were humans in his room all night long. They would be there for a moment, but then when he looked there would be nothing there. It was quite an inaccuracy to state that demons didn't need sleep.

Sesshoumaru liked to sleep very much, especially after becoming King. Sleeping had become a hobby of his that he did as much as possible.

He slumped onto a cushion and received curious glances from those council members present. The little ambassador giggled without making a sound, and the ambassador's guard snorted. "Alright, proceed." Sesshoumaru said, waving one hand. "If I seem to be sleeping, know that I probably am. Inuyasha, feel free to lead the meeting." And with that, he fell asleep.

Inuyasha looked at Sesshoumaru with a small glare. "Hey, wake up." He told his brother, nudging the elder with his foot in a not-gentle way. When Sesshoumaru didn't move, he sighed. "Okay."

The guard opened his mouth to speak and the meeting was quickly underway. They talked all morning, or at least the little girl seemed to indicate what she wanted to say to the guard and he would say it. Food was brought at lunch, and by that time Sesshoumaru had woken up much to Inuyasha's agreement.

Inuyasha took Sesshoumaru by the arm and drug him out of the throne room, looking irritated. Outside the room, he turned to Sesshoumaru and poked the elder in the chest. "If you ever do that to me again, I'll gut you!" the puppy-eared boy said.

Sesshoumaru yawned again. "Hey, better you than Kaoi." Sesshoumaru pointed out. Inuyasha really had nothing to say to that, considering it was true. "I was up late last night." He figured it was better not to tell Inuyasha about the two human presences in his room at night. He pulled a piece of paper out of his kimono and handed it to Inuyasha.

"What's this?" Inuyasha asked. "You know I can't read."

"Open it. It's a picture. I got it late last night from the scribes. That's what they think the Bandit-Killer looks like from the descriptions given of her." Sesshoumaru said.

Inuyasha unfolded the parchment and whistled. "Exaggerations aside," Inuyasha said, "it's good to know she's back. Any word of her, or from her?"

"No, but she'll come when she's ready. I've already ordered Kaoi and the Lord Provost to pardon the order of outlaw." Sesshoumaru pulled Inuyasha out of the way of a couple nervous servants going about their duties. The hallway wasn't particularly large, so room had to be made. "It will take a month or so for word of the pardon to travel."

"Good. Then we can finally get back on the hunt for Naraku." Inuyasha scowled for a moment. "I got this a few days ago by the way. I meant to tell you sooner, but the deal with the ambassador and everything made me forget." He began patting his clothes in search of something. "Great, where'd it go?"

"Typical," Sesshoumaru muttered. "Another day, another lost item."

"Ah," Inuyasha pulled out a strip of cloth from his haori. It was the sash of a priestess.

Sesshoumaru took the object and felt it, then lifted it to his nose to smell it. His eyes widened marginally. "Your priestess?" Inuyasha nodded glumly. "But it smells like Kagome."

Inuyasha took the scrap of cloth and held it open by the length. Words were written on it. "I can't read what it says," Inuyasha admitted, for the second time in the span of a few minutes.

For the sake of his brother, Sesshoumaru read it aloud. "It was beautiful watching your useless wench," Sesshoumaru trailed off.

"What does it say?" Inuyasha demanded.

Sesshoumaru looked at Inuyasha and saw the determination in his brother's face. He finished, "Kill your priestess. You should have been there. I cannot wait to get a hold of that power myself. I've had Kaito looking for Naraku, but there's no word or sign of him in the West. Kaito's spies suggest that Naraku is holed up in the East, but where is uncertain. It is possible he is causing the unrest in the East."

"I want to know what he wants with Kagome." Inuyasha bit out. "I'm getting an itch that I can't scratch waiting for him to show."

"Oh, Lord Sesshoumaru," someone called from their left. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru turned their heads to look at who had called out. A blond demon woman with brown eyes stood in the hall wearing something that they would have expected to find being worn by a prostitute or concubine, but the air with which she held herself suggested she had a high background.

"Yes?" Sesshoumaru inquired, turning to face her. He knew his irritation showed in his pulled together brows. No one ever interrupted his conversations, or at least, no one used to until his true coronation.

Behind the woman, he noticed, were three demons; phantom demons like Seirra. They radiated power, and the woman's aura was incredibly ferocious. Despite his irritation, he knew instantly that she was stronger than him, and that bothered him greatly.

"My name is Chieko, and I have come here to wed you for the power and prestige that you will bring. I, and my puppets, are not here for polite discussion. If you do not agree to marry me, I will kill you and your line, leaving your country in upset." She smiled pleasantly as she spoke, as if they were talking of the weather over a cup of tea.

Sesshoumaru let his hands dangle loosely at his side as Inuyasha growled and put his hand on his sword. "Not here," he warned his brother. He didn't really want his castle being ripped apart by the power of the Tetsusaiga, and aside from that, the woman would just humiliate Inuyasha. He knew he would have to deal with this diplomatically.

"Mistress," said one of the phantom demons, his lip thrown into a pout.

"Ah, Kisho, please. Mommy is talking." She waved the phantom demon's whine aside and stepped forward, closer to Sesshoumaru, further away from the phantom triplets. "Think about it, Lord Sesshoumaru." She was putting the formality onto his name, but it sounded like a swear on her lips. "There is a great deal that you hold dear to you. Do you want everything to just disappear?"

Sesshoumaru thought instantly about the helpless Rin, and Seirra. He couldn't turn his back on Seirra. He had promised her he would find a way for them to be together. Sesshoumaru started to raise one eyebrow and prepare to say 'no'. Besides, how dare she just walk up to him and tell him what he would do?

"I'm not without my power, however." Chieko said. "Here…" She waved to the phantoms, and from behind them they pulled a struggling Seirra. Inuyasha looked extremely surprised, looked at Sesshoumaru, then at Seirra and back again as if he could never have thought of what thoughts were going through his mind at that moment.

"…" Sesshoumaru cracked his knuckles.

Seirra growled, "I know that's you, Akio. Let me go. Kisho, Kozue!" she struggled against the restraint the phantom demons had on her, but she couldn't even phase through because if she started to, they would do likewise and keep hold on her soul. "Sesshoumaru, don't do it. Don't marry her!" Seirra said.

Servants had cleared the hall now. The confrontation had unnerved them, and soon the rest of the council would undoubtedly join the hall, bringing with them the curious little ambassador and her guard. Sesshoumaru didn't want to deal with this.

"Three seconds to decide the future of your kingdom, and your lover." Chieko giggled, as if this was the best sport ever. Sesshoumaru found that the leverage that Chieko really had over him was Seirra. He didn't give a damn about the kingdom, but he couldn't let Seirra get hurt. "Two…"

Sesshoumaru said, "You understand that soon enough I will exceed your power and kill you, correct?"

Chieko gave him a mad grin, as if she didn't believe her power could ever fail her. "I'm counting on it." She said.

Inuyasha growled, "Sesshoumaru, the hell! You can take her!"

"Release my guard," Sesshoumaru ordered.

Chieko nodded to her phantom demons and they shoved Seirra forward. Seirra stumbled into Sesshoumaru and he put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. She glared at him with unseeing eyes that penetrated his soul. "Wonderful. We shall have the ceremony bright and early in the morning." Chieko clapped her hands in delight.

She walked off down the corridor, her hips swaying as if she belonged there. Seirra shoved Sesshoumaru. "And what about your child?" she demanded. "You better hope it's not a boy!"

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha both blinked. Inuyasha said what Sesshoumaru was thinking. "Child?" His voice was filled with incredulity.

"That's right," Seirra hissed, shoving Sesshoumaru again. "I knew this would happen. I knew you would do this, but I let myself get sucked in. When Kagome comes back, I'll make sure she knows about this too!" She was crying.

Sesshoumaru listened to Seirra rant for a moment longer, her anger getting louder and louder, attracting more and more attention from those who were eating inside the throne room. Then, when he felt Seirra had said enough, he said in his quiet voice that commanded obedience, "Silence." Surprisingly, Seirra snapped her jaw shut. Sesshoumaru continued, "If you cannot feel the destructive aura of this, Chieko… You are more blind than first thought."

Seirra growled, "She's my _mother_, and those were my _brothers._ I know her better than you; first my father was caught in her sights. Then the Lord of No-man's land," she meant the Evil Eye Demon Territory, Sesshoumaru knew, "And then when she tired of him, the King of the East. Now you. She's power-hungry!"

"She explained that quite well," Sesshoumaru pointed out. "But I will not allow for harm to come to you, especially if it can be avoided."

Inuyasha was stunned to hear that from his half-brother. He nearly choked on his spit thinking about how amazing it was that Seirra had warmed Sesshoumaru's heart. Seirra's blue bangs hid her face from them. "And your child by me?" Seirra demanded, her voice breaking halfway.

Sesshoumaru turned away from Seirra, to head back into the throne room. "It will be taken care of. As will you. This Chieko will not be my Queen. I already have someone for that position." He pressed into the room.

Inuyasha growled at his brother's retreat, but saw Seirra. Her shoulders shook violently, and liquid was dripping off her chin. He smelled salt, and that made his cut-off puppy ear itch. Not only that, but he really hated it when a woman cried. He couldn't stand it. "Seirra," Inuyasha said, putting one hand on her shoulder.

Before he knew what had happened, Seirra had flung herself at Inuyasha. He thought at first that she would hug him like Kagome demanded hugs when she was sad, but Seirra phased into his body. It was like five years before when she had entered his body to heal him. He felt her sadness inside him. A glance at the floor told him all he needed to know.

He bent down to scoop up Seirra's clothes and headed out of the castle. When she came out, even though it would be three days until then at least, he figured she might like to get dressed, and aside from that, she probably didn't want to be in the castle for the ceremony. "He won't mate her," Inuyasha said in an attempt to make Seirra feel better. "We both know he won't."

**"Of course he has to. Kaoi will make him!"** Seirra insisted, her voice his own.

Inuyasha settled into a tree in the Forbidden Forest, a bit chilled from the winter. His clothes of the fire-rat kept most of the wind away at least. "Since I've known Sesshoumaru, he has never, ever really followed an order or custom, and even less he follows Kaoi's orders. Sesshoumaru hates Kaoi, and probably hates this woman, for making him do this to you."

**"My mother is disgusting. Do you know what she does with my brothers?"** Seirra asked, again he heard it through his voice. He was glad no one was around, or he might be questioning his own sanity, much less others questioning it.

"I'm not sure I want to." Inuyasha admitted. He suddenly had a desire to know more about Seirra, and the secret half of Sesshoumaru that fell for her. "How long have you and Sesshoumaru been…"

Seirra laughed mournfully. **"Seems forever,"** she whispered. **"I…"** she paused nervously, as if worried he might think less of her if she continued.

"You?" he urged. He considered for a moment her life and why he harbored such great animosity toward her. It was because Naraku had controlled her that he hated her, but that was hardly fair of him. Sango had been controlled, and he was, or had been before Sango disappeared, good friends with Sango who was a demon exterminator.

**"I lost my sight for him…"** Seirra said. **"I gave him my blood oath, and my heart. But I'm of common blood, so no self-respecting noble would accept our being together. We both knew that, but I still hoped. Now this woman… my own mother… took him away. Not only him, but my brothers too."**

Inuyasha sighed. "It probably won't make you feel better at all, but no matter what Sesshoumaru says, he's not going to be able to protect you all the time from her. She's going to want you dead."

Tears ran down Inuyasha's face, but they weren't really his. Seirra was crying. **"I know."**

"Then…" Inuyasha paused, hoping she was listening, because he didn't want to repeat himself. "Stay in my body. As much as everyone knows we fight, they'd never actually expect it, right? You can have your baby, and use my body as a hideout. It's better than the alternative."

He didn't have to say what the alternative was. She already knew.

**-modern day- **

Inuyasha ran a hand through his hair once and rubbed his half-blind eye as he looked at all the paperwork that was piling up more and more. "Oi," he complained. "It just never ends." Being both the lead General of Sesshoumaru's military, and the chief of all Sesshoumaru's finances, Inuyasha was already battened down with things he had to do.

Then, to top that off, he had a business to run in the Human World that, while it was thriving like crazy, he felt somewhat sore by it when he added it to all the other things he was already doing. Still, at least he had company while he spent so many long hours by himself. Of course, 'alone' was a misconception, because he wasn't exactly alone.

**"You're still at this?"** his 'other half' laughed, yawning. He wasn't sure when the other half had ever come, but for as long as he could remember it had been there, mocking him. There was a time very long ago that he tried to court a woman, but his other half had ruined everything for him with a kind of malicious joy at his annoyance. It was one reason why he didn't court anyone.

"Yes, I am," he muttered and flipped through more pages of recent drawings coming from Sesshoumaru's treasury. There were several accounts that Inuyasha monitored. Most of it was the personal accounts of the Royal Family. He was glad that Chieko had taken over her own account; he didn't have to worry about a woman's heavy shopping binges that way.

He managed Koenma's account, Mitsuko's account, Sesshoumaru's account, and his own account. Then he managed the payroll for each budget, and payroll for those who were in the employ for the Spirit World. It was a lot of work, but at the end of the day, he felt satisfied and could sleep with ease that he knew what was going on with the treasury.

**"What's the hold-up?"** his other half asked sleepily, probably on the verge of sleep. Inuyasha sometimes wished it would sleep permenantly, but worried if it did that, he wouldn't exist anymore. It was one reason he never had it banished as sometimes could be done by witches with great power.

He looked at the stack in front of him and sighed, once more rubbing his half-blind eye. He took his glasses off and set them on the desktop, on top of a stack of maps he'd been looking at only an hour earlier. "It's Koenma's account. I just can't figure out why he hasn't drawn from it for five years and that's bugging me."

**"Maybe he has everything he needs."** His other half suggested reasonably.

"Doubtful," Inuyasha muttered. He looked over the account paperwork again and thought aloud, "A few years ago he had been, for the most part, beginning to take over payroll for his little Spirit Detectives. He would draw regularly from the account to pay for the work those boys did for him. At the same time, he took over payroll for the service that Lady Botan did for him. Then suddenly everything stops. All pay-outs ceased, yet he has Lady Botan working for him still, and two Spirit Detectives—the witch, and the fox-spirit human-boy."

**"You could talk to,"** this time, his other half grumbled as a knock interrupted it. Inuyasha looked toward his office door; it was closed so he had some semblance of privacy, but he figured none would ever come anymore. After the attack on Sesshoumaru's human woman in the Demon World a few months ago, he barely had any rest, searching fruitlessly for the woman.

"Enter," he called out.

The door creaked open and Inuyasha raised one eyebrow in surprise as a head poked into the room nervously. "I hope I am not interrupting anything…" she trailed off, her eyes darting around the room for the source of the second voice she'd heard. She looked confused, he noted.

Inuyasha set the papers down on the desk again and stood up, brushing his sleeves off. After sitting for so long, he was sure he had collected at least an inch of dust. "You probably are," he grinned to let her know he was only teasing, "but everyone else does it, so you shouldn't be too worried." She relaxed only marginally.

"I, I know I shouldn't be here," she said hurriedly. "May I close the door, Your Highness?"

He blinked, more surprised than previously, since she had just addressed him so respectfully. The Spirit Detectives were all known for their disregard for proper authority. He waved his hand toward the seat opposite his desk. "Of course." She closed the door and scooted across the room, bowing at the waist and staying that way until he realized she was waiting for his permission to rise. "Have a seat, Miss Yukimura." He told her.

She rose stiffly and sat with an extremely straight back. He noticed the black lines of bruising around her ears, eyes, cheekbones, and lips, and lining her collarbone. It made him frown slightly. At least his other half was being silent at the moment—that was a relief.

"What brings you here, and at such a late time?" Inuyasha inquired.

She bowed again from her seat. "Your Highness, I'm really, really sorry. I shouldn't have kept quiet for so long. And perhaps I'm not as good a judge, but…" Koenma's little witch Spirit Detective trailed off, shuddering slightly. She peeled her jacket off, wincing as if the action caused her a great deal of pain. He realized that since she'd come in, she'd held her left arm tight to her.

"Please get to the point," Inuyasha asked. "I'm not fond of guessing games."

"I'm trying to." She finally managed to get the jacket off, then plucked at the buttons on her blouse. He felt all the blood rush to his face. Was she mad, he wondered. Did she have some sort of notion in her silly little head that he found her the least bit attractive?

"What are you doing?" he asked, finding that for some odd reason his voice was squeaky. She managed to get her blouse undone with one hand and proceeded to open it. For the sake of decency (and his own peace of mind that a woman was undressing in front of him) he turned his head away.

"Um, Your Highness," she said nervously, "it's kind of pointless for me to be here, like this, if you won't at least look."

He said, "I like pointless things."

"Oh, dear," she giggled a little bit, "I didn't mean… I'm not here for that. Would you please, just turn your head?"

Nervously he turned his head. She was bare from the waist up if one discounted her lingerie, but he could immediately see why she had been holding her arm so awkwardly. It was broken. He was amazed she had lived with that. "I see." He said. "You would want to take that up with Koenma." He told her. "He's your employer, not I."

"It's just that!" she said with urgency. "Koenma did this. And he's done it before. A few years ago, I could have healed my arm without another word said. I did it for Hiei, when Koenma broke his arm. But I've pushed my magic so far into the destructive powers that healing is too fine of work. I'd end up making my arm explode."

Inuyasha frowned, mulling over what she said. He cracked his knuckles as he thought. "Why did he do it?" he inquired. As an afterthought, he added, "Would you like me to fetch a healer?" She shook her head. "Why?"

"Because if anyone were to see me here, with you; I honestly doubt Koenma would be very forgiving. He removed Hiei's Jagan and let Hiei torture himself with his elements for months just because Hiei failed to retrieve an amulet." She sighed. "Kurama was then told to find the amulet for Koenma, but it had been lost, so Kurama found a script that described it and recreated it. Unfortunately, Koenma found out the amulet was a fake."

Inuyasha scratched the back of his neck. "I don't get it. Koenma's been acting strangely ever since he reached demon maturity. From my experience, demons don't change personalities entirely, they only go from their child body to their adult one."

"And Yusuke," Keiko said.

"The first and most annoying of Koenma's recent batch of Spirit Detectives," Inuyasha nodded. "I haven't heard of him in a while. As far as I know, his services were terminated. What can you tell me of that?"

"Koenma had him tortured!" Keiko gulped, holding her arm to her as one would a spoiled infant. "I don't know why, exactly, but…"

Inuyasha held up his hand. "Hold that thought, please." He stood up. He couldn't let her continue to suffer, and if it would give him a little more insight into what was going on with Koenma and the puzzle surrounding his nephew, he would have to make her more comfortable. He knew it couldn't be very pleasant to have a broken arm, but she was surprisingly strong to endure the pain.

He stepped out of the room and walked down the hall. At the very end of it was an ordinary looking door, though few were allowed to go through. He never understood why, but he was allowed. He knocked three times on the door to warn the Guardian that it was him before opening it.

Inuyasha peered into the world inside the barrier. It was miserable inside, a forested area suffering the signs of a recently ceased downpour. The trees were thriving, however, as if used to the massive amount of rain they got. In the center of the clearing was a recently filled hole, so drenched that it looked like a giant mud puddle. Beyond that was the hut that the Guardian lived in.

He carefully picked his way across the span of miserable wetlands and scratched at his head again. He knocked on the door to the hut. His knock was answered by a shrill cry first, and then the door was flung open and a griffon peered out at Inuyasha curiously. Inuyasha bowed slightly to the griffon.

"Is His Eminence, the Guardian, around?" he asked.

"No one is home," he heard the Guardian say, sounding like he was in a pleasant mood. Inuyasha heard the sound of something cooking and smelled fresh cooked—and burned—meat. "Right, Rainie?"

The griffon slouched, then lifted her head to voice a shrill cry—a laugh, perhaps?—before turning around and returning to the inside of the hut. Inuyasha thought the Guardian must be in a particularly good mood, which was probably good for Inuyasha.

Inuyasha carefully stepped into the hut, wishing the Guardian cared more for manners and had invited him in. But then again, as high as Inuyasha was in status, they technically equaled each other. The Guardian had more power, however, and probably should be feared and respected more. And he was feared and respected far more than Inuyasha had ever, or could ever remember, being.

"Your Eminence," Inuyasha said as he rounded a corner of the small abode and found the kitchen area. The Guardian was sitting in front of a dug out fire pit, peeling bits of extra-crispy meat from a carcass on the spit and chewing on them.

The Guardian sent Inuyasha a small glare that sparked bits of anger and defiance in Inuyasha that the half-breed had not felt for years. "I said no one is home. Have I no privacy in my own barrier?"

Inuyasha blinked and cocked his head at the Guardian. For a moment, he had seen someone, or something else, in the Guardian, but it wasn't with his good eye. It was with his blind eye that he saw it. "Your Eminence," Inuyasha said, "Forgive my intrusion. But you specifically asked me to come to you when I have someone in need of healing rather than going to the healers, and the woman is hesitant to see a healer anyway."

The Guardian chuckled and ran his fingers through the griffon's feathers. "See, Rainie? I told you, he would still go to those useless healers anyway." He slapped his knees then, and stretched, wiping his fingers on his tee-shirt. "I can't believe how nice today has been," the Guardian said in an off-hand manner. "No stupid uprisings in the Demon World, and the humans have things for the most part under control."

"Is that so, Your Eminence?" Inuyasha inquired, stepping aside as the Guardian walked by.

The Guardian looked at Inuyasha with a raised eyebrow. "Don't spoil my day by calling me by formalities. We've known each other a long time, since before you'll remember because of the world splitting." He clapped his hands together, then rubbed them. "Well, let's see this woman."

"She is in my office," Inuyasha said. Within a moment, Inuyasha and the Guardian were tracking mud across the castle of the Spirit World and into Inuyasha's cluttered office. Inuyasha guestured to the woman in the chair and she turned.

Miroku raised an eyebrow at her, recognizing her instantly. She knew him, too, and remembered him. "I said no thanks to a healer," Keiko snapped at Inuyasha.

"You've got fire," Miroku grinned. "And quite a lot of it, to talk like that. I believe you were a lot more subdued the last time we met."

It was Inuyasha's hundredth turn to be confused that day. "You know her?"

"I never forget a face. We met, albeit briefly, in a hospital." Miroku crossed the distance and reached out with one food-greasy hand to touch a bruise on her face. She took a single glance at his hand before swatting it away with her good arm. Miroku looked with great surprise at his hand.

"Miss Yukimura, I would recommend not," Inuyasha started, but Miroku cut him off.

"Wow," Miroku said, astonishment quite clear in his face and voice. "It's been so long since anyone did that…" Keiko didn't like the look on Miroku's face. It had a perverted edge to it. "This is the best day ever!" He knelt in front of Keiko as suddenly as one could say 'they' and took her bad arm in his hands. "Will you… will you…" he frowned momentarily, then brightened. "Ah, that's right! Will you bear my children? I had forgotten the line, it's been so long."

Keiko was so surprised and startled by the sudden question that she yanked her hand away from him and slapped Miroku hard enough to make him dizzy. "Pervert!" she cried. He fell on his behind, but he was laughing. Keiko had another surprise; she'd just slapped him with her bad arm and felt no pain at the simplest movement of it, much less at a jarring impact. She looked at it; it was healed and she hadn't even noticed him doing it.

"Wonderful! Wonderful, just amazing." Miroku said with glee. "Can my day get any better?"

Keiko nudged the laughing man with her foot. He wiped away tears of mirth as he looked at her. "Don't tell Koenma, or I'll kill you." She warned the Guardian.

Immediately Miroku's laughing stopped, and Inuyasha bit his lip. All Inuyasha could think was, 'Don't kill her, I need her information first,' over and over. Then, the process seemed to start all over again. The Guardian began laughing, so hard that he had to hold his sides as if he were afraid they would burst apart, or perhaps start tearing.

Keiko looked very confused, and she was. She'd come to Inuyasha to give him some information on Koenma. Now, here she was—by her own fault—sitting half naked in front of two men who she barely knew. And one of them was laughing like a madman, which she couldn't tell if that was good or bad.

By the look on Inuyasha's face, she guessed it was probably bad. "Look," Keiko said, knowing her voice was filled with the uncertainty she felt. "The fact that I'm here now can't go back to Koenma. The last time I disobeyed him, he hurt someone very dear to me." Her mother. Koenma hadn't just hurt her, the cold bastard had killed her.

Miroku sighed happily and sat up on the floor. "You silly mortals." He said, smiling as he spoke. "You're always quarrelling with one person or another." He leaned his chin on his hand, and his elbow on his knee. "I can't wait until Kagome comes back."

"Kagome?" Keiko said suddenly. She pulled her blouse back on and began buttoning it, providing much more coverage for her noticeably abused body. If Inuyasha didn't know better, he would have said her skin was actually blue-and-purple. "What do you know about Kagome? You healed her that day…"

Miroku drew himself up a little. "Kagome? She's my big sister." He was proud to admit it, and felt like just saying it made the world lift a little from his shoulders. "What do you know of her?" He scooted his bottom across the floor, closer to her chair, and reached up to brush his thumb across one of her eyebrows. The cut on her eyebrow disappeared as Inuyasha watched.

"She was taken to the Dungeon of Torture, by Koenma's orders. Both her and Akari Dekage, her little girl. Many other of the village-women were taken too. I haven't heard anything about her since then, and this was several months ago." Keiko looked at Inuyasha. "This comes to what I wanted to talk to you about."

Inuyasha nodded to show he was listening and he closed the door. Miroku ran his fingers gently over her features, putting months worth of healing into her body. Tears in her flesh began to mend and fade into old scars. "Can you stop that?" Keiko asked, shoving his hand away. "It's annoying. The wounds will just come back, so wasting the effort is pointless."

"But," Miroku seemed surprised yet again. He wondered if Keiko even knew who he was.

"When Yusuke first started working for Koenma, the worst his temper and violence got to be was to hit people with folders, or toss small objects at them. Now, he breaks, tortures, and kills those who anger him."

Inuyasha said, "You were talking about Yusuke Urameshi. Have you heard from him lately? You are his significant 'other' correct?"

Keiko shook her head. "We broke up a long time ago." She then looked at Miroku. "Before I saw you in the hospital, when you healed Kagome, we had a fight. And it was just after you healed Kagome that I saw Yusuke last, at school, and then on a mission for Koenma. It wasn't long after that before he disappeared and none of us were sure where he was."

Inuyasha scratched the back of his neck in irritation. "And the fox? What is happening with him?"

"I last saw Kurama a few days ago. He told me, 'You should get out of the pot before it boils over,' and I wasn't sure what he meant. I had known the amulet was a fake from the start, because I helped him make it, but I didn't know Koenma had found out about it. Kurama told me where he was going and said I can follow and be protected, but I had no idea why I was in danger—until now." Keiko sighed.

Miroku said, "What of the other Spirit Detectives? Have they any complaints to voice with the new treatment?"

Keiko looked at Miroku with an annoyed glare plastered to her face. "Kuwabara went to work for King Enma, and that's why I took his place. I haven't seen him since High School graduation, so I have no idea how that's working for him."

"And the others?" Inuyasha urged.

"Like I said, Yusuke was tortured, and then he was tossed into the Human World. A friend of mine, and his friends, rescued Yusuke and they're taking care of him somewhere, but won't tell me where. And Hiei was left to torture himself. I don't know how, but Kagome got him out and stabilized his elements, so he was with Kagome for a while. Now, I don't know where he is, but I do know he was really angry with Koenma, angry enough to kill the Prince for stealing his eye."

Inuyasha paused. His eye? "The boy," he thought. "So that's…" he frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Miss Yukimura, what does the amulet look like that Koenma is searching for?"

"It looks like a circle, with strange spikes through it. The spikes move, as if they're supposed to clamp some sort of jewel in the center. It's supposed to be powerful as hell, too. But it's so ordinary looking." Keiko pulled on her jacket, pursing her lips. "But that's not why I'm here. I'm here because I'm pretty sure I know something about Koenma that he doesn't want anyone else knowing."

Inuyasha glanced at the Guardian; Miroku was thoughtful. Inuyasha wondered if he should ask the Guardian not to get involved, but it was already too late. Inuyasha was the one who had involved Miroku in the first place, asking him to come heal Keiko. So he was entirely to blame for that part.

Miroku inquired, "What do you know?"

"A friend of mine who works for King Enma told me that shortly after Koenma reached demon maturity, he had a bad fight with his mother."

"Everyone knows about that," Inuyasha said quietly. "I had to break the fight apart, because my idiot brother was away. Neither of them were hurt, much anyway. Chieko could have done a lot more damage to the boy, transformed as she was." He shifted on his feet, silently willing the girl to get to her point. He hated waiting games. Patience was a virtue he seldom observed.

"But that's where you're wrong. The _real_ Prince Koenma had a fight with Queen Chieko a week before the one you broke apart, in a section of the Spirit World that belongs to the Queen. Noone but the Queen and her servants go there, so word of that fight never got out."

Miroku brushed her knees; bared as they were by her skirt, he could see bruises and cuts riddling her legs. The damage faded and then disappeared like it was never there to begin with. No scars or scabs were left. "Then how do you come by this knowledge, or your friend. Do they work for Chieko?"

"No, I told you, he works only for King Enma, and he's as loyal as a dog—a drunk dog, usually, but very loyal." Keiko waved off the question. "But even though he works for King Enma, he's got inside information, he says. And he's seen the real Prince Koenma too, so he knows for sure that the one who broke my arm is a fake." Keiko bit her lip, wondering just how much information she would have to tell them about what she knew.

"So, you're telling me that Koenma isn't really him?" Inuyasha inquired. He seemed to appreciate the sensitivity of Keiko's situation and how she didn't want to reveal too much, and at the same time she knew he could have brought a telepath in to try to pick her mind.

"That's right. He was switched and the second battle was staged purposefully when King Enma was away. Botan told me that Queen Chieko ordered King Enma to stay away from Koenma, and I'm guessing it's because he would notice that Koenma was a fake. So it was staged so _you_ would be the one to break up the fight, because for some reason you wouldn't notice whatever it was about Koenma that revealed him after his change, and you would unconsciously vouch for who he was."

Inuyasha looked at Miroku; Miroku looked at Inuyasha. "Complicated," they said in unison, surprising each other. Miroku grinned and continued. "I'm curious to speak with the real Koenma. Maybe I will."

"But I don't know where he is." Keiko said.

Miroku laughed again. "I don't need directions."

Keiko said, "Then, take me with you. I have to see for myself if it's true." She didn't look like she would budge on that, because she wouldn't. She was going whether she had to latch onto him to get there or not.

Miroku groaned as he stood. He looked at Inuyasha and joked, "No one ever told me that five hundred years would make my joints cry in agony." Inuyasha grinned, able to relate to that. After a while, the years begin to add up, and even demons eventually lost their youthful energy. Miroku reached out his hands to Keiko, offering to help her stand. He smiled at her. It had been so long since he had seen a fire like hers; he wanted to take her along, simply to see if she would have any other qualities he enjoyed in a woman.

Keiko slapped away his greasy food hands. "I can get up myself, thank you. I'm not helpless."

He chuckled. Yes, this definitely was the best day ever. He shoved his hands in his pockets before sauntering toward the door. Keiko looked at Miroku, confusion riddling her features. "So weird," she muttered, before shaking her head and following after him.

**-elsewhere, The Rebellion- **

Koenma looked at his disguised features in the mirror. Wrapped as he was in bandages, he both felt and looked like he was trying to impersonate a mummy, but now the pain from his battle with his mother had left him nearly completely, and despite Mitsuko's disagreement, Koenma was taking off the bandages. He reached out for one of the many ties that held the bandages all together and began to undo them.

As he removed the bandages, his features slowly became known to him. His mother had attacked him so soon after he reached demon maturity that he hadn't even had a chance to look at himself in the mirror. Before him, reflected back in the mirror, was a young, matured demon with messy dark brown hair, grown out skewed because of the bandages he'd had on.

He saw his brown eyes marred with the pain and suffering he'd heard, seen, and felt throughout his years. A scar extended over his left eye and then turned abruptly to cross his nose like a blush, and like a blush the scar was red and puffy still. Not much about him had changed, except the "JR" marking that had once graced his forehead had changed to be a crescent moon marking, to prove his inheritance to the throne.

If he were to die without a son, then the crescent moon marking would transfer itself to Koenma's uncle, Inuyasha, and uncle Inuyasha would have to inherit the throne. However, there was currently something wrong; Koenma wasn't in his proper place. His mother had removed him from it when Koenma proved that he would follow his father's orders until his father's death, and she had put someone else in that position. Someone who would serve her purposes far better than he could.

He wished that he could be left to imagine what had become of his Spirit Detective team. He'd come to know of the four boys as good friends—perhaps best friends. But unfortunately, he knew what happened to them. Kuwabara, at least, had gotten out early and with only a beating as punishment from the fake Prince that Koenma's mother chose.

Yusuke and Hiei were less lucky, but tortured though they were, now they were safe again. Yusuke's recuperation was coming along slowly, but certainly. Hiei was back in action, though now he refused to follow anyone's orders again and Koenma didn't have the heart to tell him he needed to obey him. It was because Hiei rarely cared for anything, and it was nice to know that the little girl, Akari Dekage Nishi Higurashi, had touched Hiei in a place very few ever managed.

Hiei was off, following the little girl and—probably—protecting her and torturing whoever got in the way of that protection.

"I really want my pacifier," Koenma grumbled as he threw the bandages in the garbage. The only wound that had ended up scarred was the one across his eye and cheek, and he got the feeling he would have that for the rest of his days. Yusuke wasn't as lucky—he was disfigured and pieces of him were missing.

It grated on Koenma's nerves to know that this had been done to his friends. Sure, he might have thrown a book or two, or yelled out his irritation and then ground his teeth into his pacifier, but still, was that really fair? But then again, life really wasn't fair.

He pulled on some clothes and despite the minor pain he felt in his bones at moving, he felt lighter without all the bandaging. His hair, grown longer than he had ever liked it, flopped into his eyes at nearly every turn of the head. His clothes hung limply on his form, not hugging him. He could feel the cold stone floor beneath his feet.

None of this happened when he was all bandaged up. His hair was always squished to his head, his clothes were tight to help hold the bandages, and even his feet had been bandaged. He thought, I may never wear shoes again.

A knock on the door attracted his attention and he crossed to it, swinging it open. Mitsuko stood outside the door, leaning her slender frame against the wall so that he had to enter the hall to see her. He smiled at her; she'd always done so much for him.

"Mitsuko," he began, but she shook her head.

"Don't," she warned. "Just, don't." He wondered if she knew he wanted to ask her to be his Queen someday. Every time he tried to bring up the subject, she simply shook her head and said 'don't'. He was sure she couldn't read minds. "Rinku was playing yo-yo in the west halls when the Guardian of the Barrier showed up. He hasn't moved yet," he knew she was still speaking of the Guardian, not of Rinku, "but there's a woman who I've seen with the fake Prince along. Do you want me to handle it?"

Shortly after Mitsuko got Koenma out of the Dungeon of Torture, she'd handed command of The Rebellion over to Koenma. He was glad to lead it; if it was found out about, then he could be responsible for the punishment, not the rest of whom had been involved. And it had grown too; they had many more members, all working for the same cause. But only the First, as they called themselves—the first fifty or so members—ever actually saw Koenma or Mitsuko. The rest were given their orders by a superior ranking member.

Koenma shrugged, feeling the cloth fold over his shoulders as he did so. It felt nice. "I'll handle it. The west halls, right?" she nodded and he began walking a collision course to what was sure to be disaster. When he arrived, Rinku was snapping his gum and playing with his yo-yos, staring up at the Guardian of the Barrier with awe.

"You gave me a pass through the barrier!" Rinku said.

"Did I?" asked the Guardian. "I can't remember…" The Guardian then noticed Koenma, and Koenma grinned at the other one. "Ah, Koenma."

"Of course you can remember," Koenma laughed at the Guardian's return grin. "You never forget a face—or a name. Otherwise the first name you would have forgotten was mine, and you clearly remember me!"

Koenma came close enough to reach out and embrace the Guardian, which he did. Miroku had always seemed so much more like family than anything. His father always held Miroku in high company, so Koenma had just come to view Miroku similarly.

"So, what are you doing here?" Miroku inquired, looking at the drab west halls with curiosity.

"Funny story," Koenma waved his hand slightly. "Turns out, mother's a piece and a half of true work."

Miroku snorted. "I won't even grope her."

"Which is saying something," Koenma nodded. He ruffled Rinku's hair. "Go play somewhere else." The boy pouted, but Koenma gave him a glare and he rushed away. "So," he looked over Miroku's shoulder, "who've you got with—Oh, Miss Yukimura!" he was surprised.

Keiko bowed stiffly to Koenma. "Please, after obeying orders for so long from your lookalike and being called 'witch' for the duration of that time, I think pleasantries aside, you can easily call me Keiko."

Koenma sighed. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. How's Kurama doing? I haven't heard of him lately."

Keiko shook her head. "Not as well. Your clone is set out to kill him."

"Do you know where he is?" Koenma thought if he could just find Kurama first, he could bring Kurama into his hideout and then things would be much better, since he'd be able to protect Kurama. Chieko had one thing going for her; assassins.

"I do, but I will not betray his location. Not even to you."

Miroku interrupted her from saying more. "Interesting setup you have here. I'm amazed Chieko doesn't know yet."

A bitter look crossed Koenma's face. "She has three spies among my people, but I'm monitoring them carefully. I know it would be suspicious to her if she had none, and it's better that I know who they are rather than knowing they're here and yet not knowing who they are." He tilted his head to the open hallway. "Would you like to see more?"

Miroku shrugged. "You are your father's son." He commented lightly. Koenma wondered about that statement. His father always called Koenma 'his mother's son'. Was Koenma more like his father, or his mother, then?

Keiko asked, "Why would you suddenly invite a stranger who appeared in your secret hideaway for a tour of it?" It bothered her to see Koenma—clearly not the same Koenma who broke her arm—so pleasant. Even though she knew in her mind that he wasn't the same person, her nerves were still on high.

This time it was Koenma's turn to shrug. "I've known His Eminence for a long time—"

"His Eminence?" Keiko looked at Miroku. "You don't look like a noble. You barely look like a pauper."

Miroku smirked at Keiko. "That's the point. No one looks twice at me that way, and no one ever remembers my face, or the fact that I'm human. My job isn't easy, and it would be twice as difficult if everyone knew the Guardian of the Barrier was human."

"Wait, wait," Keiko held up a hand, as if to stop time from confusing her. "You're the Guardian of the Barrier? But, that just doesn't make sense. You're a pervert! Why would the Barrier choose you?"

Miroku held his hands up, looking at his palms with curiosity. "I would correct you. The question is not why the Barrier choose me, but why I cursed myself with it." It was only then that she noticed the purple cloth and rosary around his right hand. His smile faded slowly, and his eyes became clouded. "Why, in a moment of madness, I made a wish that trapped me so successfully in an endless pit of undeath."

Koenma had never heard his burden worded quite like that before. "…Undeath?"

Miroku looked at them, first Koenma, then Keiko. "Try killing me. Go ahead…"

Koenma hesitated, but Keiko reached out and touched Miroku. Where their skin contacted, blackness spread, the black of a power previously unreached. It was the pure taint of a priestess, one who had pushed herself to the limits to reach the ultimate in powers of destruction. Cracks split Miroku's body in disorder and blood splashed Keiko and Koenma.

Miroku collapsed for just a moment and then they watched as his human body began to mend, piece itself together once more. Miroku looked minorly disoriented for just a moment, before shaking his head and splashing blood from his hair onto the walls.

"It didn't work." Keiko whispered, amazed. "But, how?"

"I told you," Miroku said. "I chose this life for myself—foolishly. I'm cursed with hideous, painful undeath. I feel everything and yet nothing." He sighed. "But had I not chosen this, another would have. It was his original idea. Split the world in two and rule over them as a God. In my wish, I created three. One for humans, one for demons, and one to balance the two equally. Yet, I still have the duty to protect the barrier and maintain it."

"Then, that's where I came to be." Koenma half-asked.

"No," Miroku said. "Your father was a king long before I was even born. Only then he was known as Sesshoumaru, the King of the Western Lands. But more importantly, I'm not here to talk about my past. I'm here to find out what you've been doing?"

Koenma shook his head. "That, I can't say."

"So you're trying to get rid of your mother?" Miroku chuckled at Koenma's surprised look, and at Keiko's curious look. "It's quite obvious from the look on your face. You really should get your father in on it. He'd be both enthusiastic and delighted to help. Plus, I know his wedding gift to her was a death-promise. And I know the perfect person to fill the position of Queen in Chieko's absence."

"Who?" both Keiko and Koenma chorused.

"His first and only lover." Miroku declared, like it should be quite obvious.

"I already intended that," said a new voice. Koenma turned; Mitsuko tilted her head in acknowledgement of Miroku. "I've almost completed her shell, but I'm going to need a powerful Secret-Keeper to draw the spirit out of Rei and insert it into the shell I'm creating. Neither Naraku Akira, nor Lady Rin are powerful enough for the task."

**-elsewhere- **

Inuyasha was having trouble concentrating with his 'other half' constantly talking. The paperwork he was trying to work on was going nowhere. He cradled his head in his folded arms atop the desk, his dog-like ears twitching in irritation.

**"You should have gone to see Koenma."** His other half muttered with displeasure. **"You know in order to bring it to Sesshoumaru's attention, Sesshoumaru's going to want proof."**

Inuyasha wished his other half would just go away and leave him alone. For once, peace and quiet would be nice, rather than having his cage rattled by the other half. "I'm sure the Guardian of the Barrier will warn Sesshoumaru if it's anything at all," he argued reasonably.

**"Or else the Guardian will turn his back on it, not wanting to involve himself in mortal dealings! He hates being involved in mortal dealings, and squabbles amongst royalty aren't really his concern unless it starts threatening the Barrier!"**

Inuyasha sighed and sat up. "Fine; I'll—" he was interrupted by a strange sight, one that forced him to pause. In the open space of his office, a woman stood. He could only see her with his blind eye, which gave him cause to think she might not be real—or probably wasn't real.

She stood before him, blue hair short and floppy. She had white-silver eyes that seemed to see just as much as his blind eye did—which wasn't much at all. Her lips were soft, pulled into a serious expression. She was poised for battle, but as naked as a newborn babe. She was gone as soon as he blinked, but he couldn't get her image out of his mind.

**-feudal era- **

**"You're not going to the ceremony?"** Seirra asked, her voice still his own. He expected that, since she was still in his body. Inuyasha simply shrugged and stared up at the gray morning sky, feeling a slight chill as the melted snow soaking his clothes let itself be known. He didn't feel his presence at the ceremony was required, since he felt betrayed by Sesshoumaru himself.

His brother—undefeatable by anyone except Inuyasha himself and not scared of anything—had caved to some strange woman's orders. She hardly twitched, and he practically bowed in front of her like she was the dominating power. Perhaps she was, with the power rolling off her, but still. **"He'll be mad that you weren't there to support his decision."**

"He'll have to learn that I don't support it; better now than later." Inuyasha said. He felt an ironic smile cross his lips. Sesshoumaru's actions almost felt reminiscent of Inuyasha's past. "I'd been following Kikyou for a long time, you know. Learning of her death, I fell for her reincarnation—Kagome. But Kikyou wasn't quite dead; she was jealous. And that put Kagome in danger. It's kind of like that, except the rolls are reversed. I can see certain qualities of Kikyou in this new woman. Sesshoumaru's putting you in danger."

**"Why,"** Seirra asked Inuyasha, **"if you hate me, why are you being like this?"**

Inuyasha shrugged again. He didn't have a response to that. He wasn't even sure himself why he was being so kind, but there were two things in life that got to him. Women. And Crying. When the two were combined together, it spelled out 'disaster' for him.

**"Idiot,"** she grumbled.

**-elsewhere- **

Sango lifted her hand to her head, groaning as she felt like an overbaked potato that had been stepped on several times. Her state of undress bothered her for only a moment until she recalled what had happened to get her that way. Ryuichi had taken advantage of her the night before when she was too tired to fight back.

It forced her to wonder about his stamina. After casting a complex bit of sorcery that transported them from Kagome's world to their own again, he still had plenty of energy to romp about as if he hadn't lived for thousands of years. She sat up in Ryuichi's bed of furs, feeling some of the nippy winter air biting at her bare body.

"I'm going to bathe," she warned the demon, but the arm wrapped around her waist remained. If anything, he tightened his grip. She figured if she wanted to get away, she could, but the thought of the icy water kept giving her second thoughts, and the bed was already warm. But then again, she could feel the grease in her hair as she fingercombed it, so it wasn't actually debate-worthy.

She needed a bath, and if she could find a hotspring, then perhaps it wouldn't be quite so bad and the warm water could sooth her aching muscles. She wasn't always so self-conscious of her state of cleanliness. She could blame that entirely on Kagome. If it weren't for Kagome always wanting to take a bath, Sango wouldn't ever have realized how nice it is to be clean of blood.

Sango pried Ryuichi's fingers off her side and slipped out from beneath the bed again. "You'll just get dirty again," Ryuichi pointed out. "There's no real reason to be clean."

"Well, I blame you for the blood caked in my hair," she told him, sniffing. "You're plenty old, so you should know better than to screw up a return spell. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have fallen directly in the middle of a wolf-tribe war." She grabbed the first article of clothing from the floor that her hand touched. It was difficult to see in the dark; they really never got around to starting a fire the night before.

"I'll have you know, I did that on purpose." He said sleepily, or more lied. She rolled her eyes in his general direction, tying a too-large haori on with a sash. "I'm," he yawned, stretched, and rolled over on the bed to get more comfortable, "hardly to be considered as nice."

Shaking her head at his behavior, she grabbed up her sword and all their clothes. If she remembered correctly, there was a hotsprings somewhere in their general vicinity, although she couldn't quite recall which direction. The gray sun nearly blinded her as she pulled back the immensely thick vine curtain that shielded the cave from most weather.

She didn't waste time in the water after she'd found it either. Kagome was fond of simply sitting in the water and attempting to absorb the spring's natural heat. Sango preferred just to get in, wash herself as clean as possible, and then get out and dressed before demons came to find her at odds.

She was out of the water and standing on a hill overlooking Ryuichi's lands, barely on the border of Ryuichi's lands, when the shroudy veil of gray lifted and the bright winter sun beat down on her, marginally lifting the chill. She'd washed their clothes and was wearing her demon slayer outfit now. Her intention was to go back to Ryuichi's cave to return his clothes, pick up the bone boomerang that Isoo gave her, and head immediately back to the Western Lands.

It had been five years since she'd seen Miroku, she realized. She wondered if she would ever be able to look at him the same. As she watched the sun rise, every inch of her skin beginning to freeze with the wet clothes on and her hair becoming icicles, she found herself wishing the past five years had never happened, or better still, she'd never met Ryuichi.

Miroku; how could she keep such a secret from him anyway? If Naraku ever found out of her disgrace, he would use it against her. She would have to tell Miroku flat out what she'd done, and explain what Ryuichi had done. It was possible that Miroku knew a way to remove the binding spell that kept Sango's life in check, leaving her young.

She'd had dreams of 'somedays' where she would grow old and watch her grandchildren recreate the lost Demon Exterminator race. Perhaps the first demon they would exterminate would be Ryuichi…

But then, she thought, what about Ryuichi's declaration of love for her? He loved her temper, he loved her foul mouth… he loved _her_. So what about Ryuichi? If she could break things off with him, would she want to? Would he even let her even if she did?

The tiny crunch of feet in the snow alerted her to another's presence. She turned to look; a very small boy was attempting to hide behind a scraggly looking tree, his three crimson eyes both timid and anxious. She knew he was a demon. He was so small though; his black hair stuck up like a flame and even had a white-blue star through it. Covered in blood as he was, and with the ragged clothes he wore, she guessed he wouldn't survive much longer than a few days on his own.

When he saw that she noticed him, he darted behind the tree to use it as a hiding spot. Half frozen, she placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, cradling the folded clothes under one arm. She was a demon exterminator—the clothes she wore marked that and even children knew that. She wouldn't put it past a demon to try to lure her into a trap, but the skeptical part of her that had grown steadily since meeting Inuyasha and Shippou wondered if this boy might be good.

She cautiously approached the tree he hid behind, her feet crunching in the snow. As she neared, the boy took off running. He was clearly afraid. He didn't manage to vault a fallen, snowhidden branch in time and quickly became a shovel, plowing snow.

She turned course and followed him. He looked at her with fear apparent in his eyes and once she was closer he put his arms up to shield his face from her, as if afraid she would strike out at him. "I had to do it!" he cried, "It wasn't my fault!"

She knelt by him, her hand still on the hilt of her sword. She wouldn't let her guard down, and she kept a quick eye to her surroundings, in case someone were to jump out of the snow. "I don't even know what you did, boy," she told him.

He slowly lowered his arms, peeking at her. He pointed toward a small wooded area, the forest that broke the border of Ryuichi's lands and Sesshoumaru's kingdom, with one finger. "Mama was kidnapped by bandits. Papa went to get mama back, but he never came back so I followed and found them, but they were dead."

Sango let go of the hilt of her sword, taking a renewed glance at this boy. "Did you take care of the bandits?" she asked him. He sniffled, but a nod was her response. She gave the boy a small smile. "Good. Then I won't have to. Do you have any other family?"

"Not that I know," he said. "Mama found me in the forest. I'm sorry I followed you. Please don't kill me!"

She felt a genuine grin cross her face. "Why would you have followed me? You know what I am, right?" Another nod was her reply. "Then why? I'm your natural enemy, both prey and predator."

"Because being weak is not an option." She knew her surprise showed. It was such a grown-up response, said with grown-up maturity, but he couldn't be much older than five, maybe six demon years, or perhaps even younger. "I thought if I watched you, I could learn, and then I could protect those that I love before they die."

She felt a sigh overwhelm her. Those determined eyes, all three of them, were also the eyes of a puppy; begging. She couldn't resist him; doing so would be truly cruel. Ignoring him also wasn't an option. She thought of her clan, dwindled as it was. She and Kohaku were the only ones left, and since Kohaku was technically dead—animated by a jewel shard—and she was sure she was barren, neither of them would be able to carry on their blood.

She nodded as she came to a decision. She reached out a hand to him. "I'll teach you, but you'll have to promise me something." He looked at her, and she could see the eager look in his eyes. "Unless you're using the power of that eye, it remains covered." She knew very well that demons with more than one eye usually had special magic attached to the third limb. She didn't want to find out what powers it had.

He nodded. "Ok!" he said. His fear of her washed away as if it were dragged quickly downstream by the current of the Snake River. "What's the first lesson? When do I get to learn to use a sword?" His eyes wandered to her sword.

She could see in his shallow expression that he really wanted a moment to grieve. He probably hadn't given himself time to think of his parents as dead, or if he did, it wasn't enough. Plus, she really wanted to get going on the road to the Western Lands. Still, she couldn't leave him like he was. "Cleanliness," she told him. "A good demon extermina—er, warrior… is clean. Come with me."

He took her outstretched hand without a second of hesitation and she pulled him to his feet. They were bare, she noticed. But even bare as he was, he didn't seem to mind the cold weather. She led him to the hotspring she'd just visited and said, "Undress and—" he was slowly backing away. She dropped her pile of clothes on the ground and scooped up the boy. "Sink or swim!" she said cheerfully, dropping him in the water. Then she thought, 'what if he can't swim?'

* * *

**Wondering why I haven't updated lately? Too many hits per one review! I'm not posting for me, I'm posting for the reviewers. And here I thought I didn't have to get on your cases anymore. Hm. - TK**


	192. Alone and Deadly

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I'm almost positive I told you I wouldn't write these anymore... I'm almost to 200 chapters, and anyone who thinks that I think I own "Inuyasha" or "Yu Yu Hakusho" will have given up on this story a very long time ago. After all, those who actually read this have a lot of determination to have lasted this far, and to think this story is good--you make me blush. As thus, I will no longer demand reviews (seeing as how I am an infidel and could not bring myself to review an awful story one time, though you didn't hear that from me). If you have made it this far, congratulate yourself with a healthy cup of water and perhaps some food. It's been a long run this far. You must be both dehydrated and famished by now! I hope to at least have the Naraku side of the plot completed by chapter 200, though I think I've given up actually finishing the entire thing by then. You will see an increase in chapter length, and an increase in the time between updates. You have stuck with me, and I thank you all in advance! _

Chapter 192: Alone and Deadly

There was something about the chains that made her crack, like she was back in the Dungeon of Torture, fires burning against her flesh. The collar on her neck was impossible to remove, and tearing at it only chafed her skin, making her ache more. The manacles on her wrists and the chains being held like lead reins on a horse made her feel like an animal.

The chains connected her wrists to a short chain leading from her collar. He had stripped her of her dignity, taking away any form of proper clothes. The only thing Oshmage gave her to wear was a strip of cloth to tie around her chest, and a colorful loincloth; the front and back flaps fell beyond her knees, but they didn't cover much.

She felt like a prostitute; Kagome the Feudal Era Prostitute. It didn't have quite the ring to it that she would have liked. He paraded her through snow, frozen and barefoot and quickly becoming ill with the weather. The collar on her neck made her skin that much more raw as its frozen surface licked at her. She could feel the magical power in it, suppressing the priestess power that would have come natural to any other priestess.

It was his way, it was the country's way, to hold prisoners with those special powers, by suppressing their way to utilize that power, making it coil into a ball on the inside of the user. But as he paraded her through town after town, making his way to the capital where Sesshoumaru was, to personally hand deliver her and get his "reward" for her, she had a secret that she wouldn't let him know.

She knew that special, spectrum colored power wasn't being contained as he would have liked. It was as free as ever, burning through her veins, just itching to be used. She didn't use it; the easiest way to get Oshmage where she wanted him, would be to let her pride and dignity fall. After all, while she knew she could do pretty much whatever she wanted to do with the power flowing free in her, her mind urged her to be logical.

If she took on Oshmage and his guards, she could get seriously injured, or worse. She wanted to live to see her daughter. She was surprised to find that her daughter was the reason she wanted to live. For a while before Akari was born, Kagome had been looking for pretty much any excuse she could find, scrambling for a way and reason to die. Now, life was so much brighter with Akari waiting for her.

That was why Kagome endured the treatment of Oshmage, holding the monster inside her back when all it wanted was to let loose and rip the man free of any reason he had to call himself 'man'. The monster was slowly getting harder to contain, but she needed only keep it until she reached the ugly castle of Sesshoumaru's.

When Sesshoumaru saw her, saw the markings he'd given her--the maroon stripe on each cheek, the blue crescent hanging from each eye, the maroon lightning bolts leading from her spine and around to her stomach to point at her belly button, the maroon stripe encircling each wrist like watches--he would know it was her.

And then, when she'd seen Sesshoumaru, that was when Kagome planned to show Oshmage exactly what loyalty was. For someone who had been sneaking warriors across the country and into the capital in the form of merchants, using the loss of thousands during a recent war plague, Oshmage's loyalty was waning. It was pitiful.

She shivered, not allowed a blanket, chains keeping her connected to a tree far from the fire. She could tell the freed magic inside her to create a heat barrier, or to warm herself, but Oshmage was a fire apparition, and could sense the slightest changes in temperature. She hadn't slept well in six days, perhaps getting two hours of fitful sleep a night in which Hiei visited her each time.

The thought of Hiei's frustrating behavior, the fact that he really was there and manipulating her mind, managed to make her furious enough to forget the fact that she was for all intents and purposes, naked, and her body was freezing. Being chained to a tree did nothing for her temper either, and she'd lashed out at Oshmage apparently more than he could handle, making him have one of his little hired hands gag Kagome.

It was a disgrace, to be dragged hither and thither about like an animal to begin with. Then to top that off, to be Sesshoumaru's Second Chief Advisor--nobility of a sort--and being dragged to the capital by a traitor who was overly greedy for money and power, made her feel that when this was all over, the only form of repayment she would accept would be Oshmage's death.

She shivered again as the first light of dawn poked its nose into the clearing. They had taken a route to Sesshoumaru's castle through the forest that was beside the castle, because Oshmage didn't want to be seen with all his little mercenaries. Heaven forbid someone get the wrong idea in the capital, even though he'd boldly strode through village after village with forty-five mercenaries in tow.

Tomorrow they would be in the capital, and by tomorrow evening, Kagome would be sleeping with her wings stretched out in the room she'd last disappeared from. Finally she would be home... She sniffled, but it wasn't sadness overwhelming her; she was going to spend weeks sick, possibly in bed, after this. But at least Oshmage's blood would stain the ground permanently.

The next morning, Kagome was awoken from her frozen half-sleep by what had, over the past week with Oshmage as a captor, become the customary wake-up call. A rude slap to the face as she was released from the trees. Furious tears formed in her eyes as she glared with all her might at the red eyed, fat fire apparition.

"I'm coming to collect today. And you're going to be hung today, my beautiful outlaw." Oshmage smirked, his hand running along her scarred shoulder. A shudder of revulsion shook her, making him grin wider. Only sheer will kept her exhausted, frozen body standing. She was determined not to let him see her weak; he was the type of man who enjoyed breaking people into obedience, and she would not allow that to herself.

"Come, woman... If you weren't so nosy, then this wouldn't have come to pass. You're going to die; resign yourself. Sesshoumaru may have a fetish for humans, and anyone sees that it made him weak."

Kagome struggled against the chains binding her, wanting not to use the magic to kill him as she could, but to use her bare hands and feel his every bone break beneath a barrage of pummeling. She loved Sesshoumaru dearly; no one talked about him that way.

Oshmage laughed, getting the wrong impression as usual, thinking her to be powerless. Thinking him to be powerful. He was a mere lump in a road to travel back to her friends, her home, her daughter. Soon enough, her arms wouldn't be chained to a short leash to a belt on her waist. Soon enough she would be free to pull that gag out and shove it down his throat.

And oh, she was going to enjoy herself. She was going to enjoy herself so much...-that noon-

Hiei had taken Akari on her morning walk. To be honest, he was excited for today. He would get to see Kagome again; in her dream, he'd visited her again. She once more was vague as to how she was doing, and her mind was too much of a puzzling labyrinth to do much else but insert himself and manipulate her dreams, but she had said she would be in the capital by noon. It was disturbing that her mind had such a natural barrier, but he knew he would have to wait for her to tell him what was going on instead of breaking her mind.

Plus, since breaking her mind could cause her to go mental, he kind of liked her whole, and it wouldn't be good if her magic started blowing up the world or something because she was crazy. Not that she wasn't crazy already, but she didn't need to be any more than she was.

He helped Akari get dressed in her customary blue kimono, already dressed in black hakama and haori before she even woke up. He liked this world much better than the one he logically knew he belonged to. Somehow he just knew he had been transported through that dingy well to a time before the splitting of the worlds.

He didn't really care about the missing accommodations that he was accustomed to having in the world he belonged to. The amenities weren't all that important to him, and they hadn't been around for most of his life anyway. Akari had trouble adjusting though. She missed her mother, and was terrified of almost every adult they came across. She had gotten to be pretty good at hiding her fear; he knew it was still there.

"It's a special day," Hiei told his daughter. The memory that Akari was really his was still so incredible that it seemed unbelievable. How could he, a cold forbidden demon with raging elements and a mean streak... a desire to rule the world... how could this little creature have wormed her way past his cold, aloof exterior and why didn't she fear him?

But that raised another question; how could her mother have done the same thing? Kagome had gotten so close, so quickly, and it seemed so stupid how he'd barely seen her for very long before she had invited him in out of the rain. That was so long ago; she had a trusting nature. She didn't ask for his name, but by then she had figured it out somehow.

And he didn't care.

Akari spread her arms wide, so he could tie the obi around her waist. At first, taking care of Akari had been difficult. She was a sweet girl, and she was so trusting she'd let him do whatever he wanted to her. But he hadn't truly understood how hard taking care of a child was until he had set himself to following her through the portal in the bottom of the well.

Her trusting nature made him nervous. If someone got her to trust them, they could do whatever they wanted to her, with her… He vowed he would never let anyone get that close to her.

There was a questioning look in Akari Dekage's eyes. She wanted to know what was so special about today. As usual, she didn't speak. She didn't have the ability to anymore, and it made him angry at himself for allowing her suffer. She didn't blame him; he blamed himself more than enough to make up for it.

"You'll see," he grinned at her affronted expression. He finished tying the bow on the kimono. It had taken a lot of practice over the months for him to get the bow perfect every time. She really didn't care either way, but he winced each time she got herself dirty. As a child, she didn't care. As her father, he worried when she fell on her hands and knees.

It was so strange, thinking of himself as her father. But she thought of him that way, and had for so long, that it ended up sinking into his mind. He wasn't entirely adverse to the idea.

Akari threw her lower lip out in a pout, casting her eyes at the floor. He couldn't help but chuckle and scoop her up in his arms. "Now it's time for lunch with the stuffies." She instantly stopped pouting and her face lit up. She looked at him expectantly, and he knew what she wanted to know. "Sesshoumaru should be there. How about today, you don't tackle him?" The little girl was incredibly intelligent, but she couldn't comprehend that the Sesshoumaru she saw now wasn't the same as the one she knew in the future.

Even with Sesshoumaru's facial markings now visible to the naked eye of the child where previously it had been invisible, she still found him the same.

She squirmed for a moment, reaching out for the doll that lay on the bed still. He kept his hold on her tiny figure easily with one arm as he grabbed up the doll on the bed for her. She took it, hugging it happily. Her features kept a thank-you in them.

He wished she could talk…-The Castle-

Her body was so frozen, she could barely walk. The strip of cloth supposedly covering her breasts was leaving nothing to the imagination. It couldn't restrain them, even if they weren't incredibly large.

Her feet were leaving bloody prints. Oshmage had her sword; that was her sword. Osage had made it for her, and she glared with incredible hatred at Oshmage's back as he tugged the 'lead rein'. She stumbled forward, scraping her knees, hands, and shoulders against rough stone floor before she had to hurriedly try picking herself up or be dragged along.

It wasn't long before she was in a small room, waiting with Oshmage's many guards as Oshmage went to see the king. Now was the time she was going to begin her plans. She had thought about this for a week, about what she would do in any situation. She left no loopholes, lest she fail again.

Failure was _not_ an option that she had. She wouldn't be saved by anyone. There was a bounty on her head, and she would be hung as an outlaw never again to see her daughter. Never again to have a last hug from her daughter. Never again to play tag with her baby girl…

Basically she wouldn't let that happen. She was going to do whatever in her power she had to keep that from happening. And since that power inside her wasn't contained by the subduing power of the collar around her neck, she weighed her odds. The room wasn't incredibly large, and here there were ten guards with her, to keep her submissive. The other thirty-five were left in the city, to await Oshmage's orders.

She'd faced bandit groups in the double digits, but this would be unarmed combat and these were trained professional warriors, not dingy untrained peasants. She crawled discretely back into the corner of the room, preferring to have a wall at her back. The guards didn't stop her, since she was moving away from any means of escape. This particular room had only one door and no windows. It was quickly getting stuffy with all the bodies in its small, confined space.

The guards settled themselves to relax. She guessed it would take a while for Oshmage to meet with the Lord Provost. Good; that would give her time. As discretely as possible, she glanced around the room, trying to sort out in her mind who would react first, and who would take charge as leader once she started attacking.

These men wouldn't hold back for Oshmage either. They would want her dead, as she was going to be fighting to kill. She had killed a bandit once simply by looking at him and shoving an explosion of killing power at him. Would it do it again if she asked?

She knew the instant one of the guards when down to begin with, the others would instantly know it was her. So she had to play her cards just right. The chains clinked against each other as she shifted so she could grab the chains that practically cemented her hands to the belt on her waist. She was glad they ignored her. They thought she wasn't any threat.

Carefully, once she'd grabbed the chains, she pushed the spectrum magic from her fingertips and into the chains. She could feel them begin to crumble away, leaving a mass of aged iron in her hands, like chunks of gravel. For the most part, it freed her hands, but she still had the chain between the two manacles and the lead rein connecting her collar to her wrist manacles.

She turned her body so her body was curled further into the corner. She would use these crumbled pieces of iron. It would be how she won this battle.-elsewhere-

It was the last possible straw. Kaoi and his conservative followers were really beginning to annoy Sesshoumaru. Custom or not, Sesshoumaru considered himself a progressive king. He wasn't going to do what 'had always been done' simply because it had been previously established to work well for nobles.

Sesshoumaru didn't believe himself king because his father was such before him. He took his responsibilities and obligations to the country seriously. Kaoi wanted custom to be followed to a tee. Sesshoumaru was going to do whatever was necessary to the benefit of the people who kept him on his throne.

Kaoi had brought his arguments to lunch; was attempting to scold him for doing things unlike custom dictated. He simply kept a bored expression on his face. To his left sat Kaito, slouching over his lunch as usual. To his right was the tiny ambassador child, her beaming, silent smile eating her food. Behind her was her guard, kneeling with an eye to his surroundings.

Inuyasha was sitting next to the little ambassador, childishly arguing with Kouga over who was better at what. The little girl seemed to be holding some sort of conversation with Kaito, strangely enough using a hand charade act. Kaoi was on a cushion just beside Kouga, calling down the way to Sesshoumaru to do his arguing.

Really, Sesshoumaru was on the verge of having someone throw Kaoi into the Snake River. After severely wounding him so that the river's poison would enter his body as he was dragged under. Or perhaps just throw him off the West Tower.

He looked up as a familiar aura entered the room, and Junokobi rose to go meet the Lord Provost and find out what was going on. Junokobi had reappeared just a little earlier that morning, having been gone for several days. But nonetheless, he had taken up his post as Sesshoumaru's guard as if he'd never been gone.

Sesshoumaru could have eavesdropped on the conversation between the Lord Provost and Junokobi but at the moment he didn't particularly care. He was bored of Kaoi's incessant chatter, and Kaoi was basically relaying the feelings of the council members not present.

'Much longer, and I might just throw Kaoi into the Snake River myself,' Sesshoumaru thought bitterly as Junokobi returned to his side, kneeling to hand Sesshoumaru a piece of paper. Sesshoumaru read it. It was a message from the Lord Provost. Oshmage, the residing noble of Yuu city, had requested a personal meeting with the king. Apparently it was of the 'utmost' importance.

Pretty much every issue was that way, but Sesshoumaru simply nodded. Sesshoumaru looked at the little ambassador. She didn't seem much like she'd notice his disappearance, and it was only proper etiquette to excuse himself from the presence of his ambassadors. Yet, whatever she was talking to Kaito about she seemed engrossed in, and excited about.

Instead, he looked at her guard; the demon looked completely at peace sitting there without being talked to. But he was clearly watching Junokobi and the Lord Provost out of the corner of his eye with interest. The man was intuitive, that much was certain. On a veritable occasion, Sesshoumaru had come across the demon. What he had to say was about as much as Sesshoumaru himself preferred to ever say--that being not much at all.

Unfortunately for Sesshoumaru, circumstances didn't afford him the same liberties of silence as Akari Dekage, the ambassador's guard. Catching Hiei's eye, he tilted his head in the direction of the exit to the room in a silent request to follow. He walked to the door, joining the Lord Provost and Junokobi. Hiei followed.

Sesshoumaru's absence from the table appeared to remain unnoticed by Kouga, Inuyasha, and the ambassador. Kaoi instantly noticed the object of his irrelevant chatter leaving, and Kaito as usual was slouched but attentive and aware of everything going on around him.

"Yes?" Hiei drawled in his cold, careless way. He positioned himself so that one eye could remain on the child at the table; Sesshoumaru had no doubt that the sword strapped to Hiei's side would be used effectively to protect Akari, although he was still unaware of whether the demon truly cared. He had shown no public care for the child other than pure and simple routine. Only the girl had shown affection for the demon, and she was yet still a child.

Most demons couldn't stand half-breeds, but then the little girl was not just a half-breed, but also a mixed-breed. She would be either a very dangerous, or a very powerful asset to the Eastern Lands when she got older. Mostly it would depend on how her elements grew and if she even survived their raging battle or not.

"Unfortunately I have state matters to attend…"

Sesshoumaru didn't get to finish before Hiei interrupted, once more proving his dislike for unnecessary chatter. If Sesshoumaru weren't standing next to the Lord Provost, he might've just told Hiei that he was leaving and then simply left. Unfortunately he was standing next to the Lord Provost, and that man was a pure conservative. "And I care why..?" Hiei asked.

Sesshoumaru couldn't help a smirk cross his face as the Lord Provost's face creased with an immense frown. He turned away from Hiei, giving Hiei a nod of thanks. The man returned to the little girl at the table, and Sesshoumaru said to the Lord Provost, "Interesting man."

It was then with great displeasure to Sesshoumaru when he saw his new wife milling about with her triplet phantom demons just outside his council dining hall. As he left the dining hall--which he had expressly forbid Chieko from entering, along with several other places--his new wife fell into step beside him.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she said in her sickeningly sweet voice, managing to successfully annoy him simply by saying his name. He really didn't like the woman; she was an eyesore.

"Not right now, Chieko," Sesshoumaru told her in his coldest voice possible. It wasn't hard to muster, since he hated her with a violent passion. He rued the day--most likely in the not-so-distant future--he would have to bed her. She would have to bear him an heir. He found himself adverse to the idea that his first child from Chieko had a fifty percent chance of being a girl.

That would suck.

**I know this isn't as long as previous chapters, but it is still worth at least 3 of my usual TMttF chapters. I want to start the next chapter out with an ominous clinking of chains as they're dragged through the halls… Great, now I've gone and gotten myself excited for the next chapter!**


	193. Chains of Fate

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: Plot one: Complete by chapter 200. Plot two: Completed chapter estimate TBA. Plot three: Damn… This schedule subject to change. _

Chapter 192 recap:

Oshmage, noble of Yuu, thinks he captured Kagome. He had not, as of yet, learned of the abdication of the bounty on Kagome's head, and neither does she know it. Even with the thought in mind that she would get hung for being an outlaw, she still allows Oshmage to take her to Sesshoumaru's capital city where he is. Once there, she is put in a small holding room with Oshmage's guards. Those guards didn't know it, but Kagome wasn't helpless. Now not only will Oshmage find himself to have misjudged Kagome, but Sesshoumaru's about to get a surprise…

Chapter 193: Chains Of Fate

"Yes, right now." Chieko smirked at Sesshoumaru and Sesshoumaru had to pause in his step to look at her sharply. She did not order him around! He really hated her, and why exactly would killing her be bad? She smiled as if her mind knew no evil thoughts. She stepped forward, but immediately Junokobi blocked her path with his halberd without fear for his own life.

"One more step, and that pretty little neck of yours will find itself lacking," Junokobi said with a scowl. As an afterthought, he added in a snide tone of voice, "_Majesty_." Chieko's hatred for Junokobi rose ever more; the two simply didn't get along. Sesshoumaru didn't know why Junokobi didn't like the woman—other than she was a sadistic bitch who deserved nothing short of death.

Logical reason to hate someone, of course.

"Back off, little boy," Chieko's face twisted and her red eyes showed streamers of brown.

Junokobi only put himself further in the way, standing at a relaxed ease between Chieko and Sesshoumaru. His voice was anything but relaxed. "I'd sooner die than let you close to my king."

"It _can_ be arranged," Chieko snapped furiously, her fists quivering.

"As quick to anger as I remember you," drawled a low voice, careless and humored. Sesshoumaru had to take a step to the side to see who spoke and was surprised to see Ryuichi, the pink-haired demon standing in the hall in his usual light brown hakama and odd pink colored haori. He had two swords strapped to his body, one on either side of his waist, and simple brown shoes. His pink hair looked like straw as it used to, and his pink eyes were thick with a seriousness that his voice did not have.

Standing beside the casual demon was Sango, dressed in her demon slayer's black suit. Her dyed pink body guards were attached to her feet and ankles, to her shoulders and elbows, to her hips and to her knees, and on her wrists and hands. Her bone boomerang was held in a casual way, tied to her back, but her hand was on the strap so in an instant she would whip it if she wanted to. Her hair was pulled back in its usual way, but her bangs were longer than they were five years ago when she and shortly after that Miroku had disappeared.

Behind Sango was a nervous young demon boy, clearly not the product of any natural union. He had spiked flame hair with a blue star in it, but it was muddy and matted to his face and head. He wore what had once been a white kerchief over his forehead. The child's clothes barely knew what clean was, and his visible flesh was no better. He walked barefoot, and wore incredibly too little for the winter months. He seemed comfortable with that though.

"Sango, welcome back." Sesshoumaru said to her in greeting, and Chieko growled at being ignored. Junokobi's eyes never left the queen, and his halberd soon had a sheen of ice across the blade. "Ryuichi," Sesshoumaru said, acknowledging the demon who had a strange devotion for Kagome of unknown origin.

Chieko whipped her head around to look at Ryuichi, and the clear, blazing anger flowing through her displayed in a giant rush of her aura. _"What are you doing in **my** lands?"_ Chieko snarled.

Sesshoumaru raised one eyebrow as Ryuichi smirked. He bent forward in a mocking bow to Chieko. For some reason, Chieko seemed further infuriated by being made fun off. "Why, my Lady, I go where I please. And it pleases me to come here. With _my army_. To come knocking, I think."

For a moment, Sesshoumaru worried, and then it clicked in his head how his new wife knew Ryuichi. Ryuichi was the Lord of No Man's Land. But did he really bring his army? And if he did, why would he do that? As far as Sesshoumaru knew, No Man's Land was a land of peace.

Junokobi spat, "Your land? Witch, I ought to slice you where you stand."

"Save your breath, boy," Ryuichi said calmly. He glanced at Sesshoumaru as Chieko floundered for words to say. "So, Chieko, you're still scrabbling up the ladder, eh? I'm surprised no one's killed you yet."

"Who are _you_ to tell me what to do?" Junokobi demanded of Ryuichi, but Sesshoumaru put his hand on his guard's shoulder, a silent urge to remain quiet. Thankfully the ice demon listened.  
Sesshoumaru inquired, "You mentioned an army. I do not want to go against you, Lord Ryuichi, but if I have to, I will."

"Relax," Ryuichi shifted from one foot to the other. "We're not here against you, but rather, I am here for someone else. Surely you know." Only one thought came to Sesshoumaru's mind. He didn't know much about Ryuichi, but he did know Ryuichi was devoted to Kagome and that Kagome was back. "My sons, Akio and Eijiroo, are leading my army to protect my people on their way to my place of birth in Tkero Forest"— Tkero Forest was what Inuyasha's Forest had been called before Inuyasha was sealed—"because a certain bitch," Ryuichi's eyes blazed with contained fury, "is playing with a fire she cannot control."

"So, the brat's dead, I heard!" Chieko laughed, her innocent and playful façade back in place.

"Don't speak of my son like that, Chieko," Ryuichi warned. "You have no idea how close to death you truly are getting, and your little pets will be harmless to me."

"Oh really? Pets," Chieko snapped her fingers, and like a dog on cue the three phantom demons raced toward where Ryuichi, Sango, and the tiny boy stood. Sesshoumaru was going to yell to stop this; that he didn't have time for it, but Ryuichi simply smirked. Sesshoumaru watched with amazement as time seemed to disappear. Ryuichi twisted and turned and contorted his body in impossible ways as he blocked each and every blow that _should_ have landed, with a speed that his big body didn't look to have.

Then, time seemed to speed up faster and faster, but it was as if it was only the four hallway-fighters who were affected, and everyone else was going slower. When the three phantoms decided to go after Sango and the boy, thinking logically that if Ryuichi showed up with the two, he would have some connection to them. It was what any dishonorable fighter would do.

Chieko appeared to be enjoying the scene, and Ryuichi smiled grimly throughout it all. Sango grabbed the kid and jumped aside to let the three phantom demons crash into each other, and even as she moved she was whipping her Hiraikotsu at the phantoms. The three phased through the floor, coming out of the ceiling, and the Hiraikotsu embedded itself in the floor where they had been, proving the danger of a demon exterminator.

Instead of continuing after Sango and the kid, they silently returned to their fight with Ryuichi, and Ryuichi looked offended at their dishonesty. "Bad move, boys. I beat my sons when they tried to use tricks." Then, with three loud cracking noises, one right after the other, the three phantoms crashed into the floor and did backwards involuntary summersaults down the hall, skidding so that their clothes quickly became ragged. Sesshoumaru hadn't even seen Ryuichi move that time.

Ryuichi turned to Chieko, not a single scratch on him. He hadn't even unsheathed his swords, and even Sesshoumaru was amazed. Ryuichi's grim smile turned into a smirk once more. "Thanks for the workout, Chieko." The triplets all tried to move, but they couldn't get very far before they groaned and collapsed again.

Chieko's jaw dropped open. "You were _weak_!" she hissed. "Weak!"

"Keyword: were. Past tense. Fear my wrath, Chieko. I know you had everything to do with Hakushiimaru's death, and with the trouble in the East with the wolf clans. When you had them invade my lands, and kill my people, you created an enemy in me that you did not have before. You and Socoro are much alike… the only difference is that she's dead and you still live. Soon, very soon, Chieko… that difference won't be there." Ryuichi stepped forward, his tall, broad body looming over her. She looked angry, but not scared.

Ryuichi fisted his hand in the woman's hair and tilted her head up so he had her full concentration. The display gave Sesshoumaru hope for his future. He would definitely be able to get stronger and defeat Chieko. To remove her from his life. It would be a sweet day indeed.

"You're scared of me?" Ryuichi couldn't ever remember talking this much in his entire life, unless it was to one of his children. But the words kept coming and he felt good saying them. He lowered his forehead to touch her's, his face losing its grin and becoming a blank stare, as emotionless as a field filled with thick snow. "I can see you dying… You're bleeding, Chieko…"

He closed his eyes, and the hall was filled with nothing but silence now that the noise of battle had died down. Sesshoumaru was surprised to notice that no one had come to see what the trouble was. The fight had been loud enough.

"Blood trails from four identical wounds here," he trailed his bloodied fingers down her cheek. "And your legs? One is gone, the other mangled beyond repair. The only part of you not touched by battle is your eyes, so that you can see yourself. Your voice is gone, no one cares if you scream but you would be annoying." He chuckled as she began shaking, her eyes filled with fear. His pink eyes opened to stare at her. "Does it bother you that I can see the future? You don't know if I'm lying… or telling you the truth…" She fell to her knees, gulping, and Sesshoumaru almost laughed.

Ryuichi let her fall and knelt in front of her. He pressed a dagger—where had he gotten it from?—into her hands and she held it limply. It was as if everyone was now holding their breath so they didn't miss the quiet words of the soft spoken demon. "A word of advice, Chieko: take your life now. It would be swift that way, and you would not suffer nearly as much. Socoro's daughter, the one _you stole_, is going to take your place either way, now or later. But, I'm not going to interfere with your plans. Do what you will, but don't mess with me again. Next time, I'll kill you and anyone foolish enough to stand in my way to you." He took a kerchief out of his haori, tossing it at her unresponsive body. "Clean yourself up. You look like a damn whore."

Ryuichi stood and stretched, as if he'd spent that entire time resting. His bones popped, as if he was reforming himself, quite a disgusting sound. Then he relaxed and looked at Sesshoumaru. "Now then."

Sesshoumaru shrugged and turned to head down the hallway again. The Lord Provost was gaping openly. Someone stronger than Chieko existed, and that was incredible to think of. "My Lord?" Sesshoumaru couldn't help but let his voice become a slow drawl as he thought of how incredible he felt it was. And if Ryuichi was taking Inuyasha's Forest, Sesshoumaru couldn't stop him.

Embarrassed, the Lord Provost turned and led the way to Oshmage. For some reason, Ryuichi, Sango (after she easily tugged Hiraikotsu out of the stone), and the kid followed after. Junokobi kept sending glances at Chieko. As he was seating himself on his cushion, completely ignoring the throne yet again, he offered for Ryuichi and Sango to take a seat. Sango rested Hiraikotsu behind her and sat down.

The kid kept looking around with the same amazement that the ambassador, Akari Dekage had. Rather than taking one of the many cushions, the boy sat down beside Hiraikotsu behind Sango, trying to take in everything all at once. It reminded Sesshoumaru of Shippou, and yet again he wondered where the kit had disappeared off to. He'd had a search party look for the boy but when it was apparent that Shippou wouldn't turn up, they had to concentrate the effort back to revitalizing the destroyed country.

"Bring Oshmage in then," Sesshoumaru sighed. He wanted to finish lunch; even though he wasn't particularly hungry earlier and still wasn't at that moment in time. In sheer boredom, he looked at his nails and debated silently whether or not he should chew on them.

Sango said, "Oh, Sesshoumaru. Here, I got this." She pulled a folded piece of parchment from her wrist guard and handed it over. He took it and read it, scowling as soon as the words registered.

The letter was short, and to the point.

**Your lover, the monk, is broken. He will make my wish for me, once the priestess Kagome is no longer there to stand between me and the jewel.**

There was no question who it was from, or what it meant. Naraku's intentions were to get Kagome's jewel shards, probably kill her from the previous letter's indication, and for some reason Miroku would be the one to make the wish on the jewel.

"When did you receive this, and how?" Sesshoumaru asked as Oshmage was brought in.

"Two nights ago, when the moon over No Man's Land turned the color of blood, I came across Miroku. He was there, with the two twin incarnations that killed Kagome five years ago, when you revived her. I thought he was fighting them, but the look in his eyes…" Sango sounded detached, as if she didn't want to accept what she'd seen. Sesshoumaru knew how that felt; he never accepted Kagome's disappearance as a death. She wouldn't do that to him.

"I see…" Sesshoumaru thought he got the picture. Miroku gave her the note. Sesshoumaru handed her the parchment back and looked up at Oshmage with a hardened glare in his eyes. He remembered this guy; the fat little demon bragged about finding the ice maiden village. When Oshmage went to sit down, at the Lord Provost's encouragement, Sesshoumaru said, "I gave you no permission to sit. My Lord Provost, will you see to it that the ambassador and her guard are escorted to their quarters?"

The Lord Provost nodded, bowed, and left an extremely unnerved fire demon behind. The only ones in the room were Oshmage, Sesshoumaru, Junokobi, Sango, Ryuichi, and the kid now, and Oshmage couldn't keep his eyes off the kid. The two looked remarkably similar.

"What is so important that you would drag me away from an important luncheon with the ambassador to the East?" It wasn't really an important lunch. They had lunch every day, and he generally didn't talk during that time. He used it to hone his 'ignore Kaoi rather than kill Kaoi' skills. It required a deal of concentration.

Oshmage lifted his chin defiantly. "I brought an outlaw to collect my bounty." An outlaw? Sesshoumaru thought, wondering if he should laugh or be furious. This was the 'all important' thing that 'required' his attention? The captain of any watch guard in any city could have handled this.

**-elsewhere- **

Piece by piece, the broken bits of iron fell away from her finger tips, though they never arrived at their predetermined destinations. She watched the heads of the men turn to the door as it opened and a beefy man with the arms and upper body of a blacksmith entered. She was extremely surprised to find that a few of the guards recognized and greeted the man she had come to know as Osage the blacksmith.

Then, as she was in the corner and once very short greetings were finished, the guards all left peacefully and she didn't even have to kill them. Once it was just her and Osage in the room, Osage grinned and saluted her in a crude manner. "G'mornin'!"

"Osage?" Kagome asked, not sure she really wanted to believe it. Then it sunk in that he wasn't watching the king like she told him to.

He seemed to recognize her line of thinking and smirked. "Junokobi's got it an' Xiu Mei's there. Bu' got news. Kingy guy?"

Kagome used the wall to brace herself as she stood. Her body was weak from the sickness coursing through her, but she couldn't let that stop her. There were things that needed to be done. She pulled the gag out of her mouth and let it fall to the floor, the chains clinking. "What about him?" Kagome asked.

As Osage responded to her question, she braced herself against the wall and flexed her sore wings. Oshmage hadn't known she had them, but still he'd done the most damage to them by cramming them against hard bark every night for a week.

"Ya was a outlaw, but yer king says yer free. Guess Oshmage ne'er know. An' Junokobi says take yeh t' change firs' for ya see king."

Kagome glanced with thanks at her friend. "That would be wonderful."

Osage shrugged and pulled a small sack from behind him. From inside it, he pulled out a beautiful black kimono, embroidered with silver thread in the shape of wings on the back and with two identical and parallel slits in the back. The obi was silver, and Kagome knew the only one who could have made it was Xiu Mei, since she was the only one who knew of the need of the holes. Osage knew, but couldn't sew very well.

"Xiu Mei were workin' all days!" Osage said. He tossed it at her, and she caught it just barely. He turned to leave giving her privacy to change. "Waitin' outside. King guy, 'e'll like see you."

**-elsewhere- **

As the Lord Provost reentered the throne room, he felt sweat beading his forehead. Kaoi was beside him, equally nervous as the situation was explained to him. Kaito had both 'pups', Inuyasha and Kouga in other words, by their collars and was dragging them into the throne room with them scowling and trying to free themselves from the harsh grips.

Lord Provost cleared his throat to attract the king's attention, and it worked. Those smooth, cold, molten gold eyes turned to look and the Lord Provost nearly had a heart attack just looking at them. It wasn't fair that the boy a thousand years younger could be so intimidating.

"Did you do as I asked?" the King demanded, as Kaito released Kouga and Inuyasha, blocking the path out the door. Pouting, the two princes went and sat down on the cushions, uttering strangled greetings to a woman with long black hair that the Lord Provost didn't recognize.

"Your Majesty," the Lord Provost bowed, hoping to placate the anger before it came. "I went to do as you requested! I went to escort the ambassador to her quarters, but she wasn't in the lunch hall."

Kaoi added, "Her guard left early with her, and wouldn't say where they were going!" Kaoi also knew that if the king wanted someone in a certain place, that 'someone' needed to be in that 'certain place'. There were no exceptions to the rules, and though this particular king had yet to kill anyone for things not getting done, none of them wanted to be the first.

"Then I suggest you find the ambassador and her guard. With Chieko in a tiff today, I'd prefer to know where they are." The king said, and the Lord Provost hastened to comply. Kaoi ducked out of the room as well to help search.

**-elsewhere-**

Kagome felt great relief to have the cloth covering her body, and even with little sleep for a week and being sick as she was, the simple fact that she wouldn't be hung for being an outlaw was a great burden off her back and gave her the energy to walk with her chin held high as Osage grinned beside her.

When a tiny body crashed into her from behind and knocked her to her knees, she immediately knew who it was and a smile spread across her face. Even though her knees and hands now ached to the point that the rest of her tingled, she still found her heart lifting and the burden wasn't so hard to bear.

Her child was giggling noiselessly, and Kagome was wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. She turned her body so she could sit on the hall floor and pull the tiny girl into a hug. "Oh Akari! Sweets, I'd hoped," Osage looked so confused that it made Kagome laugh even more. Akari Dekage pushed herself back and started tracing letters on Kagome's arm. "Daddy's here?" Kagome pretended not to know.

Akari shook her head excitedly and pointed down the hall. No one was there at the moment, but Kagome could feel his slow approach. She wondered where all the servants had gone; last she recalled, there had not been a single hall that didn't have several servants doing something or other. She dismissed the idea as soon as it came though and turned her attention back to her daughter.

"Well, mommy has something to do. Would you like to come, baby?" Akari's head bobbed and the little girl clamored off her lap. Kagome stood with Osage's help, but Akari didn't move from her spot. She stared in the direction of the approaching mixed-demon, as if waiting for him. Kagome smiled and decided to wait for him too. She wanted to see him just as much as Akari wanted her mother and father to love each other.

Osage said, "Ne'er said yer a mom 'n' all…" Xiu Mei knew, but not Osage.

Kagome laughed quietly. "There's a lot about me no one knows…"

Osage shook his head. "I jus' don' understand."

"No one does…" Kagome admitted.

Osage nodded. He started walking in the direction he'd been leading her. "King guy's in th' throne place wit' Oshmage. Don' take long." She didn't have the heart to stop him and she wouldn't bruise her pride by admitting she'd probably get herself lost. She let him go, her heart racing as she fixed her eyes on the corner at the end of the corridor. She fisted a hand over her heart.

'Be still, my beating heart,' she thought, knowing he'd helped her through the week with his nightly visits in her head. There was a lot more to him than it seemed anyone realized. Hiei refused to believe he could possibly be a white knight for anyone, and certainly he didn't follow the same code that a normal white knight would, but in his own way he was one.

She thought it might be the fever speaking. With the warm clothes on, her temperature was going up even more as body heat was kept inside her. But then he appeared and as Akari Dekage clapped and jumped up and down to make sure he knew where they were, his eyes locked with Kagome's. When he was even with them and Akari raised her hands to beg 'uppie', he picked the child up.

Kagome didn't expect the first words out of his mouth, and they angered her for some reason she didn't understand. "You're about to pass out." He said pointedly. The smile disappeared from her face and she scowled.

"Hello to you too!" she snapped, turning her back on him to do the classic 'storm away to be alone' thing that she'd done when she was fifteen and stupid, letting her sickness and anger help her forget she had duties she needed to take care of.

Hiei winked at Akari and the little girl giggled noiselessly. He reached out and wrapped an arm around Kagome's waist, pulling her back to his chest. Her wings folded to her body immediately so they weren't in the way. Akari was delighted and hugged both her parents at once. Kagome was surprised to feel Hiei's hand against the flesh of her stomach, and even more surprised by the icy feeling slowly making its way through her body.

She could literally feel the sickness going away, as if he were healing her. But that didn't make sense to her. Instead, it was easier to believe she was delusional at this stage of sickness. She'd been in the cold, frozen weather for over a week with little food or drink, and no warmth. The only reason she wasn't dead was because her body was so used to dying that it took longer. Yes, that sounded more than logical.

Forget Hiei ever being a white knight. He admitted he was no white knight. When she fell, why would she expect him, of all people, to catch her? Falling was inevitable for her, and if he got in the habit of catching her, he'd said, he'd feel bad if he couldn't be there to catch her—and that also was inevitable. There would be days when he couldn't be there, and she'd think bad of him that he didn't catch her.

Then his voice was but a whisper in her ear, so low and soft she wondered if she was just imagining it. "You look good in black." Hiei said to her. "And it's nice to see you without that stupid apron on." Oh yeah, in five years she barely went anywhere without her apron because it was useful to have with its pockets.

"What is…" What was he doing to her? She could barely keep her eyes open and without his support she would have fallen down. "I need… to talk to Sesshoumaru…" she insisted.

"Then shut up." Hiei told her. She felt a smile cross her face. It…could be a dream… but he'd still be the same in her dreams as he would be in reality. She didn't get reprieve from him. He'd go where he wanted, when he wanted, and do what he wanted with no one's permission. He couldn't be contained; he wouldn't be contained.

She bit her lip and the pain kept her awake and knowing that she wasn't dreaming. But then his aura wrapped warmly around her and she simply didn't have the energy to resist letting him take her away to a world only they shared; to her dream world that he'd learned to control.

_"Why are we here? Why'd you bring me here?" she demanded of him and he simply laughed at her. She was frustrated that he controlled so much of her without even trying and she tried to convince herself internally that it was only because she was sick. That didn't work, since she knew she wanted to go with him. She enjoyed having something with him that only they could have. _

_"Stop your harping, Kagome." he laughed again at her. He made his dream self comfortable on the wet ground of the dream world, watching her begin to pace back and forth in a puddle. He knew it was for the best that her body rested and knowing her, she wouldn't give herself that rest. As much as he could do was use his mother's healing ability to small amounts. Unfortunately that meant he wouldn't be able to heal her entirely. _

_"But I don't even know what's going on in the real world, and you sit there laughing! Who will protect Akari if you're here with me?" she demanded, stopping to look at the casually comfortable demon--or glare at him would be more accurate. If anything happened to Akari, Kagome wasn't sure what she'd do. Akari Dekage was her 'light in shadow'. Nothing could replace her. _

_"I'm well aware of what is happening in the real world." Hiei promised her. "I'm taking your body to a room where you can sleep off the sickness. Akari is fine with me. And laughing at you has become a hobby of mine." _

_"Uurg!" she cried in frustration before storming over to him, glaring down at the father of her child. "You're so frustrating sometimes!" she said in accusation before finding herself falling into him because he had grabbed her arm. He shifted her so she was in his lap comfortably and she wondered for the millionth time in her dreams why they had to be so real. Why did she have to know they weren't just fantasies, and that he was really there? _

_It seemed as though it would be better if he weren't really there to manipulate her world. Soon, cuddled up in his lap, her anger had disappeared and it was replaced with an overwhelming sleepiness that even her dream self had to obey. _

_When her dream self woke up, she didn't know how long her body had been sleeping but she knew that actually waking wasn't possible at that time. However, Hiei wasn't there with her anymore and that made her lonely. Someone else stared at her though, smiling. Kagome recognized the woman as Rin. _

_"Rin!" she exclaimed, beaming at the young woman. "It's good to see you, Rin." _

_Rin giggled, the sound reminiscent of the past but in a quieter and more mature version. "It's good to see you too, Kagome, big sister." _

_"I should be awake!" Kagome insisted of Rin. "There's a traitor plotting against Sesshoumaru; I have to warn Sesshoumaru." _

_Rin chuckled, "Oshmage? You may relax. In due time, his son will kill him. His son has a purpose in this time, you know. Did you think he was allowed passage through the well simply to protect Akari Dekage Nishi Higurashi?" _

_Kagome felt her lips form an 'o'. "Hiei really is Oshmage's child then? I'd suspected…" She thought about the implications that made. "But so, why was Akari allowed through?" _

_"Unfortunately, Kagome, though I know her purpose here, I hope you understand that I cannot reveal that." she sighed, "You'll know when her task here is completed, but until then, all you and I can do is continue on our own destinies, and do the great things that history deem must be done." _

_Kagome didn't like it in the slightest, but she nodded anyway. "I'm going to do what I saw in Miroku's memories, aren't I?" _

_Rin nodded and said, "It's been almost five years since I sealed myself away to await your return." _

_Kagome wasn't sure what Rin meant by that and she said as much. Rin replied, "My Lord Sesshoumaru took ill, and would have died, but I took the sickness from his body and put it in my own so he could live. Being human, I needed a way to stay alive so I cast a suspension spell on my body so his sickness could not kill me." _

_"A suspension spell?" Kagome asked, looking at Rin in confusion. _

_Again Rin giggled. "Suspension, sealing, it's the same either way you say it. It means my body lives. But the sickness is still inside me, and I cannot unseal myself so I come to you now to ask you for help." _

_"But Rin, you know I'm not one for this sort of thing!" Kagome shuddered at the thought of a wall she'd made disappear trying to 'help' fix a window. _

_"You'll do fine, big sister." Rin promised her. "And once I'm awake, I can fulfill my destiny. My mother told me I would do three great things in my life; protect the King of the West, attach the soul of an evil half-breed to my first child and sacrifice the child to the Bone Eater's Well, and marry the King of the East. It is time I continue on as my mother said." _

_Kagome reached out, knowing that this Rin was as real as she was here in this dream world. "Alright," she agreed. She knew the cost of destiny. She knew what it would mean for Rin not to complete her journey and wished Rin didn't have to be burdened by fate as she was. But let no hand be untouched by fate, and it would not. "Show me how to find you, and I will do my best." _

_"Tenseiga can revive a person only once, and you will have only moments before the vast sickness inside me devours me. I wish you luck." Rin told her, and reached out, touching Kagome's face. _

Kagome shot up feeling the blankets falling off her sweat-soaked body. The room was dark, and it took all her will to keep from crying out loud into the night. For a moment, she thought she was still dreaming because there she was dressed in a nightgown that showed soft pink in the winter moonlight that streamed across her body from the crack in the window curtain.

It was a moment before she registered her location, though it wasn't the same room she'd once been in. Beside her on the mattress, the closest thing she had to a sister lay sleeping with worry creasing her brow. On the other side of her was her sweet little daughter, snuggling into the warm place on the bed Kagome had just hastily vacated.

There on the other side of the room was the all-too familiar face of Ryuichi, sitting up on his futon. His eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, and he began to roll up his futon the minute he saw she was awake. Instantly she felt guilty; he shouldn't have to feel obligated to wake up just because she was.

"Ryuichi," she sighed, and for a moment, it was like the last five years disappeared as she was thrust once more into a magical world, into a time that shouldn't be traveled to, five hundred years away from where she was born. She carefully peeled her daughter's fingers out of her evening clothes and maneuvered herself over Sango's body to let the woman and child sleep.

Ryuichi crossed the room, kneeling before her with such high respect that it brought tears to her eyes and she had to quietly urge him to stand. She couldn't bear to see someone like that. Sure, it was every young girl's dreams to be revered like a high princess, but the older version of Kagome, created through her hardships and through being a mother just couldn't handle that.

"My Lady Priestess, I am your," she bent to cover his lips, to stop the promise from escaping, and he looked at her. She could sense thousands of years of wisdom inside him, where before, her younger version, could never have looked at someone this way and see their true side. The Miroku who saved her six months ago, in her time, the one doomed to a forlorn life of solitude had shown her she had this capability.

"Please," she whispered, shaking her head. Her soft black hair, someone had cleaned her up or it would still be matted and gross, fell over her shoulder. "Please don't. I'm nothing to be honored, Ryuichi…"

He looked at her with awe and she realized that even demons thousands of years old could learn new things. "I owe you my life…"

"Why?" she gathered his hands in hers. She smiled, "You will understand, someday why you owe me nothing, Ryuichi… But I do know…" she turned her head to look at Sango, feeling her smile turn to sorrow stricken eyes. "She doesn't know it, but she's the reason a friend of ours will imprison himself… Simply because of you." She was changing the subject; she knew instantly it was a subject he was uncomfortable with.

"Who?" he asked, wondering how this small human female could know the future. But she was the future, and he had to remind himself of that fact. It was so easy to remember humans existed for so short a time. It was a lot harder to remember that not only was his Lady an incredibly special priestess, but she lived in another time.

"Ryuichi… I know how things end here, with me. I've seen it, and I know how it will tear everyone up. They're going to need a lot of help… if you think you owe me, just promise me you'll look after my friends when I leave them for good?"

He felt so young next to this human. It was as if he were a young demon, barely born, compared to her. Still, he nodded without hesitation. "And you can't follow me, Ryuichi," she added. "Wherever I go, neither you nor they can follow me." he nodded and she pulled her dressing gown closer to her too-thin form. "Stay here, with them."

He watched her go, but didn't move to follow her even though he wanted to. He looked at the still form of his little demon exterminator, seeing the woman shivering as though she were being plagued by nightmares suddenly. He stepped forth and placed a hand on her hip, hoping to chase away the nightmares.

That was when he caught the sight of the child in the bed closer in the moonlight. With shock, he looked at the door Kagome departed from, then back at the child. The child was nearly an exact replica of the adult, but with curly hair and two colored red and blue streaks in the bangs.

Kagome walked down the halls, an inner pull telling her where she needed to go and what she would need to do when she got there. She was being guided by Rin, she had no doubt about it. When she came to the room she needed, Junokobi stood in front of it at the ready. In the dimly lit corridor, she smiled at Junokobi and he scowled at her. She probably would never get the man's respect, but she didn't mind; she couldn't please everyone, and at this point, going out of her way to get it was only a mistake.

"No one enters," Junokobi stated in a cold voice, as icy as his internal element.

Kagome looked at Junokobi and asked him, "Do you think you could stop me? Honestly?" He thought about that for a minute. Though they both knew he was undoubtedly stronger physically and mentally, she had the advantage of time. "I am not honestly of this world, Junokobi. Fate requires me in there, now, and that girl needs me."

"Because of you, Oshmage has not been prosecuted for the traitor he is. He resides an honored guest in this castle, and his men sneak in the castle this night. Assassins not following the stupid 'code of the underworld' are in place everywhere." Junokobi spoke so quietly that she wondered if he didn't just speak into her soul. Still, she saw his lips moving.

"He will be taken care of," Kagome said. "I wanted to kill him myself, but that is the fate of someone else." She reached out and touched the ice demon's shoulder; he winced as if expecting a blow, though she wondered if he really expected one why he would let her touch him.

"Will it be me?" Something asked him to believe her, and everyone knew she wasn't any natural human. Rumor had it she could read people like books; she'd befriended and supposedly 'softened' the king known as the Killing Perfection. She was something special. Not only that, but he'd heard she was the Guardian of the Shikon no Tama.

"No, but you mentioned your cousin having a son and daughter… well, your cousin's son… made a special trip for this… I think he returns home afterward…" If Hiei's reason for being in this era was simply to guarantee his father's demise, because it was written in history that he would kill his father… wouldn't he no longer have a reason to stay?

She hoped he could stay through to the end of Kagome's journey, but if fate was kind to her, she was a daisy.

Junokobi scowled deeper. "She was murdered; why wait until the whelp is old enough to dish that out?"

"Does anyone else have the honor of seeing this side of you, Junokobi?" Kagome asked him. She gave him a reassuring smile. His scowl seemed to know no end, and his anger was becoming a bottomless pit of barely contained rage. "Please, stand aside so I might enter and continue forward."

She watched him step aside and let Rin's beckoning lead her inside. Her eyes adjusted to the darkened interior. Sesshoumaru looked up at her entrance, and she knew he'd heard her conversation with Junokobi. His eyes showed it.

First, she walked forward and held a hand out for Sesshoumaru's. He smiled wearily, as if she'd never been gone. But on this surreal evening, where it seemed impossible for things to go any way but her own, Kagome was glad she was accepted.

Words didn't need to be said, because as she took her 'younger brother's' hand, something unsaid passed between them and she could see the things that troubled him. Rin, Seirra, Chieko, Oshmage, Kaoi, Naraku--all of them of equal importance in his mind, equally disturbing to him.

Kagome reached out with his free hand, brushing his bangs from his face. "As the world is crashing on us, and we know our fates, as hard as it is to bear… what do we do?" she asked him.

He answered without hesitation. "Continue on."

She nodded. "Promise me you won't ever forget that?" It was his turn to nod, and she turned to Rin's glowing figure. Releasing his hand, she followed the instructions that Rin imprinted in her mind. She reached her hands out to the barrier that sparkled with colors and let its tendrils crawl up her fingers, wrap up her arms, and soon her whole body was encased in it. She snapped the barrier, and it disappeared, but as it did, Rin began whimpering instantly. She had said the great sickness inside her would settle in quickly.

Kagome reached out to the still unconscious woman and pulled her into her arms. "I know why I am here now, this time." she told her brother, to which he had no words to respond. "I just hope you will forgive me, for leaving you so quickly. Take care of my daughter, if Hiei has to leave her?" She looked at her brother and saw him nod sharply, and then allowed her magic to pull the sickness from Rin's body and shove it into her own.

She collapsed instantly in a fit of violent seizures and as Kagome seemed to fade away like she'd only been a dream, he knew he would see her again and very soon. He knew she'd come back to him.

**-Modern Day- **

The instant Kagome appeared, Naraku called Sesshoumaru up to tell him. Everything was going as the timeline stated it would go, and with modern medicine, they already knew Kagome was supposed to survive. For one, she'd already lived and Sesshoumaru knew it from his past, and reason two was that the timeline she wrote after Naraku in the past had been defeated said that modern medicine would cure her illness.

So making sure Kagome got the proper and finest treatment available to man wasn't the problem. The problem lay in the fact that neither man could relax in the hospital waiting room, despite the fact that they were sitting in semi-comfortable lobby chairs, waiting for whatever treatment the doctors had to do to save her life to start working.

Still, it didn't make the knowledge of what she'd dealt with any less difficult. "I could have stopped the attack on her home on Akari's birthday," Sesshoumaru berated himself for the millionth time. It was something that actually wasn't stated in the timeline, and that they weren't positive should have happened at all. "If Chieko hadn't delayed me, I could have saved her from that."

Naraku placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, patting it in a consoling way. "Don't you think you've killed yourself over that enough?" He asked. Naraku didn't believe it was Sesshoumaru's fault that the attack had happened on Akari's birthday. It was hard enough keeping his friend in the dark about the truth behind the attack, so he was just as much to blame.

Sesshoumaru growled, but had to remind himself not to get angry as the rosary around his neck began to crackle with lightning-like magic. "If I could save her from herself, I would. The only reason I don't alter the events of the timeline to save her pain is because she won't ever exist if what she does doesn't happen."

"We could sit here debating the 'if I could's and 'what if's for days, Sesshoumaru," Naraku Akira sighed. "But it's not going to do us any good other than thoroughly pissing us both off. If you can't sit here patiently to wait for when we can see her, without scaring the locals, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Sesshoumaru looked around and sighed. The humans in the area were unconsciously moving away from them, not entirely sure why they were afraid, but they did know that something was not right. He stood from his seat, knowing if he didn't get a breath of fresh air he'd lose control and the stupid rosary would punish him for it.

"If there are changes, I'll call," Naraku promised him. "For now, go to my home. Naomi wanted to talk to you."

Sesshoumaru agreed he would, but before that he wanted to check in on Miroku. The Guardian of the Barrier had been depressed since Kagome's return to the past six months ago. If the behavior kept up, the demon world would know its first ice age. Miroku, controller of the weather in the demon world, had made winter incredibly harsh, with sleet and hail the size of boulders in some places, and ten feet of snow in other places. Sesshoumaru had to send out squads of the fire demons in his military with special assignments to melt the snow in many villages.

He left the hospital, thinking of the timeline she'd left them. He could've changed what happened to her; whatever it was. He knew it was horrible, because she was not a part of her unscarred. She shouldn't have had to deal with that attack on her person, or on her daughter. Why had he let Chieko distract him? Had he gone early to her house that day, it never would have happened.

No one would have attacked her if the King of the Spirit World was there! It was his fault entirely.

Before he realized where he'd gone, he'd crossed into the Spirit World and traveled the halls to the door that would take him to Miroku's home inside the barrier. He didn't bother knocking, simply entering the place to find even his home inside the barrier showed Miroku's unhappiness. His hut was covered in a thick blanket of ice, and rather than mud on the ground, Sesshoumaru was wading through feet of snow to get to the tiny abode.

Rainie, Miroku's griffon, paced back and forth inside the hut. The hut somehow felt colder than the world outside of it, and Miroku stared at his blackened fireplace. A sheer layer of frost covered everything inside the hut, including Miroku himself. Rainie paused in her pacing to screech high-pitched and mournfully at Miroku once but then resumed her impatient walking.

"Ever wonder what it'd be like, if everything went different?" Miroku asked. He didn't wait for an answer. He just continued on in that dreary voice. "Like if we could have Kagome be sure nothing went right? Or if we could go through that well ourselves as we are now and kill that bloody half-breed?"

"It hurts, Miroku," Sesshoumaru said, "to hear you of all people saying that."

"I'm alone," was the dead response. "My lover was murdered because of me twenty five years ago, and my children don't know I exist. Wouldn't you want to change things?"

"Miroku, if you could change something, fate would never have let her through the barrier to you!" Sesshoumaru insisted. "Fate let her through though, and you've been depressed since. Is it because you know now that we are ultimately at fault for her downfall, or are you unhappy for another reason? Because you're letting all three worlds suffer."

A soft knock disturbed his 'speech' and Sesshoumaru went to the door, opening it to find a bundled up figure with a thermos in gloved hands. He stepped aside, his nose scenting for who it was. Then he really was surprised to find it was Keiko, Kagome's friend. She pulled her scarf, hat, and gloves off, then pulled her jacket and shoes off.

Miroku didn't move from his spot, but the girl was unperturbed. "Pervert, get your rear in gear, and get in here." she sang cheerfully.

"The nutcase queen sent you again, didn't she?" Miroku asked of Keiko.

Keiko laughed, "Well, yes." She turned to look at Sesshoumaru as Miroku groaned and got himself to his feet. "Hello, sir." she greeted him pleasantly. "Been a few months since I've seen you."

He nodded the truth of the matter and Miroku sat down atop his crudely built table with his legs folded under him. Miroku said, "Keiko, I'm not sure if you know this, but Sesshoumaru is also King Enma. Sesshoumaru, Keiko's a Spirit Detective."

"Ah, that explains a few things," Sesshoumaru nodded. "Kagome was known to make weird friends, though I take it she does not know of your profession?"

Keiko blushed to the roots of her hair and handed the thermos to Miroku. "Well, not exactly… I mean, this sort of thing is just too unbelievable."

Miroku looked dubiously at the soup as he poured it into the cup top. It looked and smelled delicious, though so Sesshoumaru wasn't sure why the guardian was hesitating. Then it became clear with the next words, "You know I don't really have to eat, right?"

Keiko turned even more scarlet colored and glared at Miroku. "Do you have to be so ungrateful? Her Majesty told me to come here and do whatever I had to in order to cheer you up so you stop throwing blizzard-creating tantrums in the demon world so I made you some soup!"

In an instant, Sesshoumaru saw the perverted side of his friend come out. "Whatever you have to, eh?" Miroku asked, his eyes taking on an appraising glow as he looked at the woman before him. The skirt Keiko wore went to just above her knees and her blouse fit her form perfectly but anyone could see the thoughts going through the man's head without being a telepath.

"You pervert!" Keiko slapped Miroku, leaving a bright hand print, and Miroku grinned. His retaliation was to use his power over the barrier to make the wind pick up, and Keiko's skirt was hastily upturned, causing her to not just blush but turn three different shades of red. "Pervert, stop that!" she said, pulling her skirt down again.

Miroku laughed and Sesshoumaru slapped his friend on the back. "Things'll get better," he promised, and turned to leave the two so they could argue things out. But had Chieko actually done a good thing for once? What ulterior motive could she have to send Keiko to cheer Miroku up?

He thought about this as he went to see Naomi. Unfortunately he never expected to see his daughter sitting at the same table Naomi was at; as far as his knowledge went, the two never met. But when he got there, the two were chatting like they'd been friends for years.

"Then she started ranting on how Ryuichi wanted yet another baby. Really, I think Sango is ready to slow down after thirty children." Mitsuko was saying, giggling all the while. Sesshoumaru looked at his daughter for a long moment, knowing her looks didn't come from either Sesshoumaru or her mother Seirra, but rather she looked more like a fox. That was because she wore a charm to keep her identity as a princess hidden so Chieko would not harm her.

Her blond hair (normally blue) was all innocent curls and her face was sweet, but harsh and intelligent at the same time. Her green eyes (normally white-silver) were soft and quietly commanding. Her lean figure was filled out with the right curves that Sesshoumaru wondered why she hadn't found herself highly sought after.

That was a good thing, because then Sesshoumaru didn't have to kill every man who asked for his daughter's hand in marriage. Not that Mitsuko would like that, but too bad. As her father, it was his job to keep her safe.

"Father!" Mitsuko chirped as she noticed him enter the kitchen of the shrine. The woman walked calmly and gracefully over to him, kissing his cheek in greeting. "We've got something to tell you."

"Oh? And what might that be, pet?" Sesshoumaru asked as he sat down at the table. Naomi politely got a third glass out and served him some brewed tea. It was bitter, but a heavy dose of sugar and milk saved the day. He took a gulp of it.

"Momma's coming soon." Tea came spraying out of his nose and mouth, covering both women across from him, and he coughed, trying to clear tea from his lungs. "Well, I didn't expect that…" Mitsuko frowned.

"Mitsuko," Sesshoumaru coughed, "Rei got married last year and her first child was a miscarriage." He'd been trying not to think of that fact. Kagome couldn't keep her promise to him to bring Seirra back if Seirra's spirit wasn't in existence anymore.

Naomi used a napkin to wipe herself free of spit and tea, chuckling quietly. "We've done a lot of researching, with the help of your son and his resources, and with the help of my husband and the guardian. Seirra's spirit was never imprisoned in Rei's ancestors to begin with, but instead she hid herself away somewhere else. With the splitting of the worlds, she forgot who she was and all we need now is to extract her location from Prince Inuyasha and help her remember."

"Inuyasha!" Sesshoumaru was extremely surprised that Inuyasha of all people could possibly know where Seirra is and _not tell Sesshoumaru_. Inuyasha just wouldn't do that sort of thing intentionally, would he?

"He doesn't know he retains this knowledge, just like he didn't know he had the black pearl." Mitsuko assured her father.

"How are you going to get him to remember?" Sesshoumaru would give anything to have his Seirra back… Oh, it had been so long since he saw her, since he held her.

Naomi said quietly, "We'll get it, but you need to know something else." His jaw dropped as she and Mitsuko proceeded to tell him that his son in the Spirit World was actually a fraud prince, placed their by Chieko, and he found himself growing increasingly angry as it was proven. Mitsuko went to get his son from a secret place in the shrine, and came back with him.

The reunion of father and son seemed to be spent mostly in silence for the first few minutes. The only sounds were the clock ticking, the winter winds howling around the expansive shrine outside, and the shifting of feet as people felt uncomfortable.  
Then Sesshoumaru stood slowly, his eyes on his son. Koenma winced slightly, but held his head high. "I was going to tell you myself, but Mitsuko insisted she and Naomi handle it." Koenma said to his father.

Sesshoumaru shrugged, feeling like his entire world was crashing in on him. Now he knew how Kagome felt--truly knew--back then. Something strange was happening and he didn't know how to deal with it, but he had to continue on. "Tell me more of this," he insisted, and they did. The three began relaying events that had happened right under Sesshoumaru's nose without him even being aware of it.

His son had sided with Sesshoumaru, and Chieko couldn't have that, so she replaced him. Small other events happened. Mitsuko created The Rebellion, a force against the Queen, a force to replace the Queen. And their candidate seemed to be Mitsuko's mother Seirra.

When asked what he thought of everything, Sesshoumaru didn't have an immediate answer for them. He was silent for a long time and finally it seemed to be too long for Koenma. The boy ran an impatient finger across the scar on his face and said, "Someone had to tell you, dad. Miroku gave us a choice, either we would do it, or he would do it. I wanted you to know it from us, and I want you to know I'm not my mother."

He turned away from his son and leaned against the sink, staring into the basin. Three cups and three spoons were inside it, as well as the pitcher for a blender and an ice cream scoop. "I appreciate you telling me, but the fact of the matter is that I can't keep the three worlds in balance by myself."

Koenma stepped forward, "Then let me help you, dad. Let me stand by your side as I have in the past. We both know you want to see Seirra again, and even Uncle Ryuichi promised that much. Don't you remember?"

"Remember what, Koenma?" Sesshoumaru asked of his son, a bitter tone entering his voice.

Mitsuko quoted, _"A word of advice, Chieko: take your life now. It would be swift that way, and you would not suffer nearly as much. Socoro's daughter, the one you stole, is going to take your place either way, now or later."_ Mitsuko smiled at her father. "Seirra wasn't Chieko's daughter. Chieko's a blood crest demon, and Sierra's a full-blood phantom demon, right? Her mother was Socoro, a phantom demon who abandoned her and her brothers. Chieko came across them and took them in, seeing the power she could gain through them."

"Ryuichi said that," Sesshoumaru looked at each of them, wanting to know how they knew. They needed no urging to tell him.

"Your guard, Junokobi, told his son Touya of the promise before the wounds Chieko gave him killed him. Touya hates Chieko as much as, if not more than, Junokobi did." Naomi added quietly. "Touya is here now, in the labyrinth beneath the shrine, and has been taking care of our wounded, helping those who need rehabilitation to recover."

"Dad, mom's not going to go quietly." Koenma continued. "She's looking for Sephira's Amulet, and after that she wants the Shikon no Tama so she can combine the two pitted artifacts. She got rid of me because I wouldn't reveal the location of the amulet or the stone, and I was barely able to destroy the written evidence of the two item's locations and commit them to memory before she tried to eliminate me."

"Sephira's Amulet should be safe with Naraku," Sesshoumaru said.

Naomi shook her head. "We couldn't keep it any longer, so we had to use The Chain Event." The Chain Event was a way to control who knew what information, sort of like starting a rumor. In a way, it told Sesshoumaru that Naomi and Naraku had hired someone to hire someone to hire someone to hire someone, and etcetera, until so many people had been hired that no one really knew what was going on, and the final product was that eventually something disappeared in some way shape or form, yet no one really knew how. In that case, it was Sephira's Amulet that disappeared.

"If Naraku couldn't keep it safe, how do you know she doesn't already have it?"

Mitsuko said, "Because if she had it, she'd be looking for the jewel, and she's not. She's still searching for the amulet instead, because she wants that first. Otherwise without the amulet, the jewel is nothing but a useless glass marble anyway."

"Well, I know the tomb hasn't been disturbed," Sesshoumaru said dubiously, wishing everything weren't entirely too complicated like it seemed to be. But he was glad that his son was showing true color, and wasn't as spineless, or snakelike as his mother was.

"Sephira's Amulet will be kept safe," Koenma promised his father. "Mother had the fake me send a troop of military soldiers to Shippou's granddaughter's village, simply because Shippou was involved in my escape. Dad, this is ten times overkill for her."

He felt the rosary begin to crackle around his neck as his anger rose. That village was just next to Kagome's. Mitsuko added, "The village was in your protection, but the fake prince disregarded all that, and used the excuse saying Kagome was your concubine and it was an insult to the queen, so they demanded blood sacrifices. When the villagers refused to give the soldiers what they wanted, the slaughtering commenced, and from what we've learned, many people gave their lives for each other."

Naomi said, "This includes Kagome. The villagers we freed from the dungeon, and those that we talked to who were left alive in the demon world, had nothing but good to say of her. She fought valiantly, and her daughter did as well. Their attackers used sleeping powder on Kagome and took women and children to the Dungeon of Torture."

"Kagome was," Sesshoumaru choked on the words, unable to stand without aid any longer. He felt himself slide into a chair again, and Koenma and Mitsuko sat down once more as well.

"Yes, dad," Koenma said, wishing he didn't have to see this side of his father. He'd never actually seen very many emotions other than cold indifference on his father, so now seeing it was like looking at a whole new person.

"I've got Zeru and Jin working as double agents on the inside," Mitsuko said. "They helped me sneak the villagers out, but no one had access to where Kagome was being kept except the fake prince. We knew what door to go through, but the door was enchanted and only opened on the right room for the fake prince, so getting her out was impossible."

Sesshoumaru didn't want to hear any more, but he forced himself to, clenching his fists until he drew blood.

"Kagome got herself out, what was it, almost three weeks after?" Naomi asked.

Mitsuko nodded. "Lady Rin said her grandmother visited Kagome in a dream two weeks in, and almost a week later Kagome burst from the dungeon with Akari in her arms, leaving only death in her wake. That was the day the Dungeon of Torture collapsed."

"I could have prevented this." Sesshoumaru growled. "Twice, I could have! Once when I allowed Chieko to build that damn tower, and the second time I could have when I didn't go to Kagome earlier!"

Naomi covered Sesshoumaru's hand with her hands. "And I could have prevented any of her suffering to begin with by never giving her that fat cat Boyou," Naomi admitted. "Without the cat there, she would have had no reason to go into that well house, fall through the portal, or do any of the amazing things she's done to this day. If I didn't follow her timeline then she would never have met Master Hiei, because if she didn't live at Atsuko's place for a time, their paths simply would never cross. Are you willing to play with fate?"

"I don't want her to suffer," Sesshoumaru said, and Koenma was surprised to see the lone tear that slipped past the strong dog-demon's cold and uncaring façade.

"Neither did I, but she asked that we ensure we make these events come to pass, so that she is molded into who she needs to be. She knew she could live through these hardships, and that was why she wrote them down for us. She needed our help. In her future, in our past, she asked us to do this. When I asked her why she needed to go to her aunt's to live for a while, instead of simply finishing her quest and being done with it, do you know what she answered me with?"

"No," Sesshoumaru said honestly, and his son and daughter listened rapturously.

"_'Moma,'_ she said to me, _'I know you won't understand it right now, but it's all about my future. If I didn't meet him, there would not be anything I wanted in my own world. I needed to find something to tie myself to the future, instead of being caught up in the past like I was. Did you know, I would have still had my child without him? But I would have stayed with her in the past, and that would not have been right, so he became my anchor to the real world." _

Sesshoumaru placed his head on his forearms and began crying, his sobs wracking his large form. It was hard to handle, to know that she wanted even the bad to happen to her.

"She has a long road ahead of her, Sesshoumaru," Naomi said softly, circling the table to pull the crying man into her arms. It was strange, but even Koenma and Mitsuko were silently wiping tears away, and neither could they punish or pity Sesshoumaru's tears. "We're only the construction crew. We can't make her drive on it all the time, but for the times she does, we can be certain that when she does there are no potholes."

"Thank you, Naomi," Sesshoumaru said after a long moment where the four of them tried to calm their sorrow. He looked at his son and daughter again and sighed once more. "You two are trouble, you know that?" he asked them, and received wet-eyed grins in response.

"Oh, we know, dad," Koenma assured him. "Aren't children supposed to be that way to their parents? At least, I heard that's how it is in the human world." He received a raised eyebrow from each of the three other occupants of the table. "What, did you think I didn't know you're my sister?" he asked Mitsuko.

"Well, yeah," she said bluntly.

He grinned wider. "I've known since the very first time you slept with me."

She blushed a bright crimson and looked at her father. "It sounds worse than he means it," she insisted, and then glared at Koenma. "I've never 'slept' with you, so don't make it sound that bad!"

"Of course you didn't. You were my playmate at the time, and nana let us share beds. That's when I saw it." He reached out, pulling her long curly hair away from the back of her neck to reveal a blue crescent moon marking that had a crimson slash through it. "The mark of a princess of my father's descent. Not an heir, but a princess with the authority to birth one, should the need arise. So if dad died, and I died, you'd marry uncle and he'd be king, and the son you gave him would be king after him." Sesshoumaru was impressed with how informed Koenma was, but then again, this was his son.

"Your family is not right in the head, Sesshoumaru." Naomi said, shaking herself free of the disquieting thoughts. At that, the three demons laughed.

**-1 month later- **

After a lot of treatment given in a sterile, modern facility, Kagome found herself growing restless. After so many years of having something to do at nearly every moment of the day, she began to beg and plead the nurses to just write her off as healthy and let her go. They told her they didn't have the authority to do that, and her doctor never seemed to be around--for just that reason, it seemed.

Finally annoyed that she wasn't going to be let out, and staying only because she knew she wasn't well and that Akari needed a mother who was preferably alive, she flumped back against the pillows of the hospital bed and resigned herself to watching out the window of the hospital for anything interesting. Unfortunately she had one of those "wall windows", where she saw only brick wall on outside.

It was further proof that she was in her own time, because even though she couldn't be entirely positive, she didn't think the feudal era had graffiti smeared brick walls, or beeping monitors, or televisions with the soap opera channel. Unfortunately, the coma patient she was sharing a room with seemed to love the soap opera channel. Kagome found soap opera to be a dramatized, yet watered down version of life; all of it was just soggy.

"Well, I see someone's in a pleasant mood! Hey-o!" cried a voice she had not heard in literally years.

Kagome looked toward the door to find her three high school friends there, and Hojou too. It had been Ayumi that spoke, and as she walked into the room and the others followed, Hojou waved a gift around. "Higurashi! I thought you might like this." he said in a kind voice.

She felt her face flush but accepted the gift anyway. "Thanks," she said, "but the doctors have all the medicine I could ever want."

"Oh, Kagome!" Eri giggled as the four of them crowded around the bed.

Yuka said imperiously, "We missed you, so tell us where you've been, woman!"

Kagome smiled at her friends, knowing with some small amount of shame that she'd barely thought of them since Hiei came to her house. He'd taken away much of her loneliness, just by being there. Did he know he did that? Eight ball says, "Not a chance."

"I'm not sure what you guys remembered last of me." she replied truthfully.

Hojou said, "It's not medicine or anything, by the way. It's chocolate. Ayumi and I thought, well, maybe you could use some right now."

"Thanks guys," Kagome nodded, and then it clicked what he said. "Wait, _Ayumi_ and I?" she looked at the bright pink face of Ayumi, then to Hojou's nervousness, and understood. "Well, I think that's wonderful."

Ayumi nodded, "Eri's married too. She's got a son whose about, how old again?"

Eri responded instantly, "Almost three years old. I kind of did the elope thing, because my parents didn't like my husband, but now wish I'd listened to my parents. I love my son, but my husband? Well, things aren't working out."

It was strange to see them again, because for Kagome, she felt like an eternity had gone by already since the last time they met. She hadn't seen them since before her mother made her move to Atsuko's and switch schools, and after that a lot of things escalated downhill in her life too. So much had happened since then.

"What about you, Kagome?" Ayumi asked.

Hojou nodded. "Yeah, you moved in with your aunt, last we heard, and a friend of mine from college whose a nurse intern here told me you were here, so that's why _we're_ here."

"Hoj," Yuka drawled, "you're confusing everybody, babe. Just calm down!" The two other girls giggled, and yet Kagome wondered what was wrong with Yuka. She didn't recall Yuka seeming like this before. Then again, a lot could've happened since the last time they saw each other. Like a lot happened for Kagome.

"Oh," Kagome smoothed the blanket over her legs and decided that telling them wouldn't be a bad idea after all since it would help her too, in a way. That way she could figure out what she thought of the events that had taken place. Of course, she wouldn't tell them every detail, just the minor ones that they could understand, keeping in mind that they didn't know about demons existing.

"Well, it started out with my mother," Kagome began, speaking softly. "I had a lot of responsibilities, you know how we used to volunteer to be shrine girls at the festive times of the years?" the girls nodded, "Well, I guess you could say, my 'volunteer' status just never seemed to end when I reached my fifteenth birthday, and so I worked and worked,"--Hojou added, "And got sick a lot!"--exacting a smile from Kagome and giggles from the three girls, "and my responsibilities grew. School wasn't the highest priority at the time, I suppose, so my mother transferred me to Sarayashiki, the school my cousin went to, and I lived with him."

"Geez!" Eri grumped. "I'm always working too. Too bad I don't have anyone to move in with so I can get away from the responsibility." she sighed wistfully, though it was obvious that Eri would never really mean it.

The girls and Hojou found random perches close by so they could listen as Kagome unwrapped the gift box and looked in at assorted chocolate creams. She once more thanked Hojou and Ayumi for the thoughtful gift before offering chocolates (accepted by everyone) and had one herself. As she chewed, she thought of what she could say next.

When she had her next line of thought ready, she swallowed and continued. "Well, I made some friends, and ended up pregnant," she figured she would let them decide what they would as to how she got pregnant, because they wouldn't believe it anyway if she told the truth, "and my little girl, whom I named Akari Dekage Nishi Higurashi, has since then become my world. Not long after Akari was born, I moved into a home of my own, and the man who ended up being Akari's father moved in not too much after that.

"I got visits from a friend of mine, once or twice a week, and she'd stay the night. Hiei, that'd be Akari's father, and I stayed up a lot at night as he helped me to understand my math homework set to me by my home schooling teacher, and in return for Hiei's favor, I made him cheesecake. That's practically the only thing I can make!"

"Oh, I remember you in cooking class," Eri giggled. "Worst of us all. You sent the entire class to the bathroom in ten minutes. There was never such a back up for the toilets before!"

Kagome felt her face heat up. "Anyway," she said, attempting to deter that line of the conversation. "As Akari was growing up, since we lived a little bit out of town, the three of us would walk in and sometimes we'd find festive activities going on. The town was such a small one, and everyone was so friendly except that one poodle lady, and any excuse the people could find would be one to celebrate. Once, we celebrated the fact that dirt was on the ground, and it was weird, but in a fun way."

Her story was interrupted, but to her, not unpleasantly. "Not to mention the time they found cause to celebrate because a leaf landed in the center square's fountain." She beamed at the intruder as he entered the quickly crowding room, setting a bouncing girl on the bed. Her face turned bright red when he whispered, "Found you," and planted a kiss on the flesh beneath her ear lobe.

"Oshmage?" she asked him, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Nevermind." she sighed and introduced Hiei to her friends. For some reason, Yuka's smile seemed incredibly forced. She did wonder why he was back, if he did not kill Oshmage yet, but was not unhappy with the turn of events.

"Celebration for a leaf?" Hojou asked incredulously.

Kagome nodded. "But it was fun."

Yuka inquired in a chilled voice, "What town did you live in anyway?"

"Da'po, I think it was called," Kagome looked up at Hiei for response and he nodded, taking a stance against the head of the bed that could only be described as a comfortable one. Akari giggled and demanded that she be introduced as well, even if she made no sound to do so. Kagome acquiesced the request. "This is Akari Dekage, my daughter. Akari, that's Hojou, Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi," she pointed to each of them in turn, and saw Hiei committing their names to memory.

"I've never heard of such a town," Yuka said.

"I hadn't either, until I went there. I made a lot of friends there. Unfortunately, my house caught fire and now I'm back with my mother." She received a glance from Hiei, who could understand enough to know she was lying. Akari wasn't really paying attention either way, but instead staring out the window with deep fascination geared toward the graffiti. Kagome knew she would have to explain to Hiei why she'd lied, but that would be later. But as much as her being back in her mother's care, that much was true. Her mother visited her twice a week for the past month, whenever working would permit it. Grandpa was in an old folk's home now, and it was surprising how much care the old man had given the shrine, so someone had to take the brunt, and Kagome understood that.

At least she stopped being angry with her mother for the actions taken over five years ago.

"I'm so sorry, Kagome," Ayumi sighed. "But at least you, your daughter, and your husband are okay, right?"

Kagome laughed and Hiei gave Ayumi a sharp glare. "Oh, we're not married, Ayumi." The girls gasped, shocked, and Hojou's jaw dropped.

"But he's Akari's father, isn't he? I mean, you said he is…" Hojou insisted.

"Well, yes, he is. We're just not married."

"But do you love each other?" Yuka demanded.

Kagome looked up at Hiei, and he looked down at her. She felt her cheeks go pink, and saw the tell-tale embarrassment in his face as well. Almost immediately, both of them admitted, "No." and in unison. They could admit it to themselves, and to each other, perhaps, but to others both of them now knew they would lie.

"It's clear as day!" Eri laughed. "You guys do too. Aw, I wish my husband were like you, Hiei." Hiei looked shocked to hear that. "Except, when my husband says he doesn't love me, he really means it."

"And his eyes aren't quite as gorgeous as yours are, Hiei." Ayumi added dreamily.

Hojou whined, "But Ayumi, you're not supposed to be looking like that."

Kagome shared a secretive smile with Akari. 'Daddy' was getting compliments, which was something he would not generally receive because of his elements.

A few hours later, Kagome's friends said goodbye and Hiei plunked himself into the chair Ayumi had vacated. Akari seemed content to nap by her mother, though Kagome knew that visiting hours at the hospital were almost over and he would have to leave her. However, she did hope to get a few questions answered before he left.

"Why did you come back? I thought you told me you liked that time better?"

Hiei looked thoughtful for a few minutes, but then was ultimately too lazy to respond by real speech, so instead he inserted his voice into her mind. She didn't actually mind it so much as she thought she would have if he just decided to be telepathic, as she now knew he could be. _Akari simply faded away from me, and I had a hunch that if I came back, I'd find her, and I did._

"Ah, but what about liking it there?" she questioned him as said child snuggled closer to her mother.

_I like it there, yes. I can freely carry my weapon around with no repercussion from anyone but myself, but it got to be awkward because I think I met myself… just five hundred years younger._ he told her.

"Aiyah, that would be confusing."

_I'm a wimp. Never would've thought that of myself._

"I actually find it more amusing to think of you as anything but a wimp," she teased, and was pleased to find him not offended but instead smirking at her like he was inventing ways of revenge that didn't actually involve hurting or killing anything. But he really wouldn't have had grounds for anger at her statement anyway, because he left himself open to attack there. All is fair in Love and War, wasn't that how it went?

"What about Oshmage?" she asked again.

_Why are you so interested in that stupid nit anyway?_ he wanted to know. Personally he didn't like the fire apparition. There was something that threw him off about him, and it was because of that reason that he couldn't keep from staring at the man. Something about him was incredibly familiar and just the way the fire apparition talked made Hiei want to slay him.

"What's he doing now? Or what was he doing when you left?"

_He said something that angered the king's personal guard and the ice demon went nuts over it. They had to be physically separated._

"Oh. Poor Junokobi…" Kagome shifted so her shivering daughter could share her blanket. "What about the elements? I see she has your rosary." Kagome's voice was softer still, and she wished Akari didn't have to deal with raging elements. But then again, it made her feel a lot better to know that Hiei was her father.

_She's not said a word of complaint, but she alternates from being too hot to being too cold. The rosary doesn't do much for her, and I don't know why, but she never complains. At this rate…_

She smiled sadly. "They'll start hurting her a lot more, very quickly at this rate, right?" He nodded in the affirmative, and her heart almost broke. At least he wasn't lying about it. She wouldn't have liked it if he did that.

"If it hurts her," she heard him say softly, "I will give her my Jagan."

She looked at him and reached out her hand in a silent plea for his. She was glad when he took her hand, his thumb caressing the back of her hand. "I don't want you to do that. I won't let you off the hook that easily. Remember, repent for the actions you've taken?"

He nodded, but they both knew he wouldn't be stopped. It would take less than half a day for his elements to kick in after the Jagan was removed, but that'd be plenty of time for him to remove it, give it to Akari, and then take his own life so he didn't go berserk and suffer.

For a time, neither of them said anything and Akari slept on peacefully. He simply scratched and massaged the back of her hand in a comforting manner, and neither of them really knew how their relationship got to be that way, just that they were content like that. Then, Hiei had questions he wanted answered before he was asked to leave so Kagome could rest.

_That world… how long has the portal been there?_

She shook her head, not knowing the answer herself. "It's complicated, but I'll try to explain." That was something about her that Hiei liked. She didn't assume someone incapable of ever understanding something, but instead worried of her own abilities to tell about something so it could be understood. And she didn't _not_ tell people because she thought they couldn't understand, but rather she kept from telling them because she wasn't ready to tell about it.

Granted, he could probably extract whatever information he wanted from her head, but he found it easier just to ask, though that had never before been the case. It was always easier to take what information he wanted before.

"On my fifteenth birthday, my cat Boyou had gotten into the old well house on my mother's property, and being the helpful girl I guess I was, I didn't want my brother to be late for school looking for the cat, so I helped him out. We found Boyou in the well house and I went to pick the cat up and take him in the shrine. When I turned around, I saw a look of fear cross my brother Souta's face. Arms wrapped around my body and I dropped Boyou in my shock at being grabbed." She continued the story in depth, sharing with Hiei her secrets in a soft voice. She didn't get very far in the story, but rather only got as far as telling him of how Inuyasha had killed Mistress Centipede and then come after her.

He was disappointed when she had to stop, but the nurse insisted it was time to go home and Hiei didn't want to cause a scene and wake Akari. It was funny how the evil, heartless Forbidden One didn't want to cause a scene… Oh how low he'd sunk on the evil ladder…

"I'll see you soon," Hiei promised her, squeezing her hand one last time.

How had they gotten to be like that? Kagome liked whatever fate had done to put her with him. That first time, and ever after, _Do you make a habit of falling over, or are you just that clumsy?_ It was comical, and sweet, and she liked him for it. She had a strange feeling that if she were to fall injuring herself to the point where she died in his arms, he'd say that and she'd argue with him in her last moments.

But… why could she not picture herself growing old? She could see her friends, her family, everyone else growing older around her; standing there alone in the center of everyone who grew old, made families, enjoyed life… there was Kagome, screaming on her knees, holding her head, tears falling freely down her face; why couldn't she grow old too? What did she do wrong? Why didn't she deserve to grow old?

That was her nightmare that night, and Hiei didn't come to protect her from it. He didn't join her in her mind that night, and though she didn't blame him for it she knew it hurt her he wouldn't or couldn't be like other white knights. He was guilty of murder, of theft, of arson. His favorite color was black and he smiled only when he thought something was worth smiling at, which usually was when he was thinking vicious thoughts. He talked when he had something to say, and whether or not people wanted to listen they did because he was dangerous and anyone could see it.

He didn't bring Akari back the next day, so by nightfall, she was worried. However, she had visitors after dinner was brought, and it surprised her. "Haru. Sheena." she greeted the twins. Her last meeting with he two had been one of rather unfortunate circumstances. But she vowed things would be better.

However, she hadn't expected the person behind Haru, and the frown marred her features visibly, making her glad that Hiei wasn't there with Akari. He would demand answers, and Kagome had none to give. "Na-ra-ku," she breathed.

"Ka-go-me," he said in a similar tone of voice, and held up a clawed hand, as if to ward away her glare. "Let me explain things. Souta knows already, so it's time you three do."

Haru growled indignantly. "What! Dad, I'm older than Souta!"

"Yeah! Why tell him anything first? He's just a stupid brat!" Sheena added.

Kagome cleared her throat calmly. "If I recall, my little brother is eccentric but not stupid. He's nineteen now, right, father?" Naraku winced, "Mother told me, and showed me your picture three days ago; it makes sense why you didn't die back then, though you were shot four times."

Naraku ushered the two children to sit by the bed, urged them to keep quiet, and glanced at the other patient in the room. "He's in a coma," Kagome assured him, "he's not going anywhere, and has no voice to tell."

"Well, that's reassuring," Naraku said dubiously but he moved to the window of the room and stared out at the graffiti wall, as though it were interesting. "Kagome, please understand I would never have left if you didn't tell me to." he said softly. Immediately Kagome was confused.

"I begged you to stay. I was a four year old, screaming for you to stay awake with me." She found it a detached feeling to talk about it.

"No, I mean the future you… in my past."

Sheena asked, "What the heck?"

Naraku chuckled humorlessly at the window. The very sound sent shivers down Kagome's spine; that was the laugh the murderer let loose before killing. But from the distinctly different version of Naraku, Kagome felt sore to hear it.

"My past… everyone's past is not only your past, Kagome, but also your present… and your future. You dictate our movements, like a narrator of a book. At least, until your timeline ends, you do." He began to tick off events she remembered happening, brief summaries of the events. The event in the bank where her father was shot, then falling down the well, then being sent to her aunt's… "You told us to make sure these events came to pass, or the version of you that exists in my past and your future will not exist."

Haru frowned. "That's complicated shit, dad," he received a glare for the language. "It is though."

"That it is, I suppose. But it is the truth, and this is why I have brought you two here with me today, to speak to Kagome and you about your destiny as Kagome wrote it in her timeline." Haru and Sheena looked at Kagome. Kagome looked at the twins.

"Ok, dad, you're scaring me," Sheena admitted.

"You do sound ominous, Naraku." Kagome added, finding herself uncomfortable calling him father or dad. He turned to look at them, a serious look on his face. "And I am not honestly comfortable being wired to a hospital bed when you're here. You say I left you a timeline, did I tell you how you were…are…?" It was too confusing to try figuring out.

"Even if you hadn't, I remember. Unfortunately, being born to a Secret-Keeper of Rinay the First's direct line, my past incarnation memories remained surfaced as I grew up. But Kagome, you… do you understand, you wrote destiny for yourself? The good… and the bad. We wanted to change what happened, so often, but when we tried, it happened anyway. You never gave specific dates when the events came to pass either, so we could not brace for them or go around them." Naraku ran a hand through his hair.

"Dad, why couldn't you stop things?" Sheena asked. "To void that she went through the well,"

Haru finished for his sister, "You could have taken her to America or something, forever."

Kagome blinked, realizing that the two had a very good point. "How many dry magical wells could they have in America anyway?" She asked, adding to their point.

Naraku could see that unless he gave them proof, he'd be stuck on the subject of the timeline all night and would never get to the real point of this visitation. Kagome's time in the modern era was growing short. He pulled from his pocket a piece of enchanted parchment, unrolling it. "This is why," he said.

Kagome took it from him, keeping one eye on him as she looked at it. It was her handwriting, she noticed with amazement, though never in her memory did she recall writing it. "This is me," she said, pointing to her name and the year of her birth written on the timeline. On that piece of paper, she saw many things, including places and things she'd never done yet, but it was all described here, or almost all of it. Her and Akari's capture was not noted, neither was many of the minor things that happened recorded.

Every time she had ever died and been resurrected by her guardian angel was recorded though. She counted them, amazed to see she'd died twenty six times in her twenty four years alive. That was incredibly disheartening. Things were not noted by particular dates, but instead were noted by "years alive".

In her fourth year alive, she was bludgeoned to death, her father was shot in a bank robbery and faked his death, she stabbed herself through the throat running with scissors, and she made her first friend--Hojou, on the big yellow school bus.

The piece of paper that dictated her life continued on in this incredibly pathetic fashion. But what was at the bottom, a largely written warning, made her want to scream. It was a letter to herself, from herself.

**Kags, friend of my heart, I know you more than you do at the moment you're reading this. How? I'm you. In fact, I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone (to the point in your life that you're reading this of course) that no one would ever know because that way you'll know I'm you. A secret you and I never told anyone, and something that no one would know even if they were a telepath. I know right now, you're also thinking that 'myself' talks a lot, and perhaps we do. But you want me to get to the point; the secret, what could it be? **

**Remember the Realm of Opposites? Do you remember first seeing father as he was in our era? Do you remember Shuichi? Do you remember falling to your knees and screaming, tapping raw power to break the ground? What about remembering the time when Ka switched our souls? There was no one else there, and the silence wrapped around us like a blanket of daggers. I did, well, we I guess, did everything we could to make noise. Do you remember? Are you satisfied that I'm really you? I know you're not, because I'm you and remember how you felt when reading this letter--time is confusing sometimes. **

**Now I know you're going to want to change things in your life, our life, in our past, in your present, or in your future. As I write this, for once I don't know how my life will go from here on out. My journey is finally over, and I can tell you now; that happy ending you wanted? I have it, and so will you, but only if you do not change anything here. It's complicated, but time can be that way, and since I've been involved in my past, my present, and my future, I have to have all the bad, and all the good to happen to mold me. **

**So that's why, unfortunately, this last trip I'm about to take is going to be one that will promise harm to my unhappy youth. I won't be the cause of a time distortion; none of us want to be. So this letter is to warn you that when you get to the end of your journey, and it will be soon now, you have to promise me, yourself, to strictly write this timeline as it needs to be. I know I'll carry this out, but for the rest of you reading this, my family and friends who will help mold me to be the person I am today, if you don't follow this timeline precisely, and allow the things to happen--like my being pulled through the well--well, let's just say fate doesn't like to be tempted. **

**She's a fickle one, Fate. She's dragged me several times through time without me using the well. If I don't go through by the time I need to, then the well just pulls me through and there's no way you can stop it. So please, know this much: you cannot stop me, and I will not stop me. I hate it when people say aloud, "Trust me" but… Trust me, my happily ever after, fairy tale ending is a good one. I can't wait until you get to know what it is too. **

**Well… see you in the future, my younger and more annoying self. See, you're irritated now, aren't you? You're doing well; keep it up. I'm watching you from a short distance in the future, and I'm proud of myself. Unfortunately, or fortunately, my fairy tale happy ever after requires me to be a proper lady for a banquet and I know my younger self is still recovering from Rin's absorbed illness. After the banquet, I'll set out to deliver this letter, and perhaps after that, who knows? My future is wide open now; I shall just have to take up knitting. **

**Love, Kagome Lynn Akiko Higurashi, Second Chief Advisor of the Western Lands, Secret-Keeper, Priestess, Chosen One, Lover, and Mother**

Kagome laughed in embarrassment. "Geez, I'm really conceited that day…" but the words troubled her. Was she to memorize the timeline to be sure it was re-written accurately? Or… written accurately in the first place…

But the happy ever after part sounded really nice. It was reassuring that eventually she would get peace, and that her future self thought it would be soon. Her eyes went to the timeline again but Naraku snatched the piece of paper from her hands. "I'm sorry… you also told me that you wouldn't look much at the timeline to begin with before you read the letter, though when you were done you'd try looking deeply at it. I'd let you, but you said not to let you, so you can't. Confusing, I know."

"Talk about confusing," Haru groaned. "I read a bit of that timeline and saw our names. What's this about me and Sheena facing off against two mind reading freakazoids?"

"You read that too?" Sheena asked grumpily. "I was hoping you'd have gotten some other place on the timeline, so that we could compare notes, but seeing my name my eyes were stuck."

Kagome made a non-committal sound and leaned back again, grateful for at least the bit that she had read. The letter itself was incredibly informative, like it or not. Just the last part told her a lot about herself as she would be in the near future. She would be a lover to someone; Hiei? Who else could it be anyway? She hadn't seen Youko Kurama for a long time, but what if she ended up in the near future getting in contact with him? Who else could it possibly be if not either of them?

What if it was Inuyasha? She was sure Akari wouldn't mind staying in the past, and Kagome did care for Inuyasha. But logically if it had to be someone, she wished for it to be the father of her child. For it to be Hiei. She shared a bond with the little… well, he wasn't little anymore, he'd grown to be taller than her… mixed breed. They had a special place they shared that no one else could follow, literally.

"Kagome?" she was being poked insistently by two pointer fingers, and found to her dismay that Haru and Sheena's poking fingers were jabbing her arm ruthlessly.

"Sorry," she shook herself free of her silly little thoughts and pay attention once more.

Naraku began again, "It has to do with you two going through the well to fulfill your part in Kagome's life. The larger group of traveling companions will split up, and the two of you will use every skill I've ever taught you to fight against twin incarnations with telepathy. I can't say much more than that, because what information Kagome gave me on that is rather vague. All I can further inform you, is that the past me was defeated and my soul attached to the egg inside my mother. Questions?"

Haru and Sheena nodded and raised their hands. "About anything other than your duties and the timeline." the twins put their hands down. "Then, I guess you'll see us a few days from now, Kagome." she heard her father say. She nodded and watched him leave, but before he was gone out the door, he looked back at her with a sorrowful smile.

Haru and Sheena looked at Kagome with identical looks of exasperation covering their features. "Dad's incredibly gorgeous," Sheena said as if it were to apologize, "but always so secretive."

Kagome laughed quietly. "Well, I guess some things never change." she said, and the twins smiled, taking off after Naraku. Already she could tell she wouldn't be sleeping much that night. There was so much to think about. Why would Haru and Sheena be important to Kagome's destiny? What purpose would it serve to place them in danger?

She was pleased when the nurse came in and checked her charts to announce, "Would you like to go home tomorrow?" She did want to go home so she told the nurse as much. "Best get some rest, then." The nurse said cheerfully before leaving.

In the morning, Kagome was proud to say that her little brother was the one who picked her up from the hospital. Decorated in black clothes too baggy for him, with metal studs in his belt and in a collar around his neck and in bracelets around his wrists, he looked like a regular young punk. He brought her clothes of her favorite old style, a blood red silk tank top and since it was winter time, he traded the tiny short-shorts for skin tight blue jeans. She'd lost weight while at the hospital, so the clothes were a bit loose on her. It was good he'd given her a tank top with a low back, because it gave room for her wings, though he didn't likely realize that. Putting the jacket on, her wings folded to her body like feathery skin, comfortably contorting in every direction.

"You really look great, Kags," Souta said, messing his hair up self-consciously. It was almost as if he were embarrassed to give a compliment, allowing Kagome to realize he'd spent too much of his impressionable youth with Inuyasha. She pulled the last piece to the dressing ensemble on; kid gloves with the fingers cut off. She wore it because he'd taken a lot of thought to picking out her clothes, and it made her happy to know he remembered. But if she were to tell the truth, she knew at this point, she would prefer a nice layered kimono, or perhaps a sundress and an apron.

"Thanks, kiddo," she said, hugging her younger brother. "I feel slightly better than normal."

Souta laughed a little before leading the way out of the hospital. It was nice to know that her mother had taken care of any paperwork, so Kagome had hardly anything to worry about. They spent the walk to the subway in silence mostly, but as they neared it, he spoke up.

"Your little girl? She's cute. I like her."

Kagome thanked him quietly for the compliment toward her daughter. "I'd worried for months after her birth that she would have some defect, because she was born several months premature. But she's just small."

"She snuck into my room and started reading David Eddings' books, on her own." Souta said.

"She decided the 'I Can Read' books were too childish for her when she was about two, I think." Kagome laughed at the memory. Akari threw a fit because Kagome took away a book on the human psyche and gave her an 'I Can Read' children's book instead. Akari pouted for hours, but Kagome couldn't give in after that or Akari would start thinking she'd get away with anything. Akari got over it come morning, but the book was placed up high until she turned three and Kagome gave it to Akari for her birthday.

Akari was so happy, and carried the book, her security blanket, and her doll everywhere for weeks.

"Hiei says she's five and a half now. That true?" Kagome nodded. "She seems older, but she's so tiny."

"I know." Their small-talk continued on, ranging from one thing to another, and they didn't really linger on any subject for very long. They talked about his schooling--reluctantly on his part--and about the quest for the jewel shards. She told him that she had reason to believe the quest was almost finished, and when he asked how she came on that assumption, she told him about the timeline and that she had assured herself the quest was almost over.

When they fell silent again they'd reached the shrine and Kagome had a wave of nostalgia cross her as she thought about all that had ever transpired in the holy shrine. There were just so many memories, and they came barreling into her so quickly that it almost knocked her off her feet.

The littlest five year old came crashing out of the shrine house and did knock Kagome over. She laughed and looked up, expecting to hear Hiei ask if she enjoyed being clumsy. He wasn't anywhere that she could see so she just shrugged and scooped her child up to head inside. She and Souta parted ways, neither closer nor farther apart than the last time they'd seen each other.

In the kitchen, she greeted hello to her lunch-prepping mother, feeling better about all her mother had ever done in the past. How could she be angry if it was actually Kagome acting through her mother? If Kagome told her mother, "This is how I want to be, and this is what you have to do to help me get there," then Kagome could be happy that her mother listened to her.

"Lunch won't be done for another hour or so, but if you're hungry there's ramen cups in the cupboard," Naomi offered kindly, glad that her daughter finally knew the truth. "And peanut butter and bread on the counter."

"Ah, thanks though Moma," Kagome said, with Akari balancing on her hip. Akari admitted she was hungry, but Kagome tapped her child on the nose to get her attention. "No food until lunch. You know if you have a snack, you won't eat lunch." Akari pouted but almost immediately brightened up and wrote on Kagome's arm with her fingertip. Kagome nodded acknowledgement to the question. "Yes, you may go to the library with Grandma later, but only if you help her with dishes and sweeping."

Naomi laughed as Kagome set Akari down. "You make me feel old, Kagome." she teased. "Haru and Sheena are off at their lessons with Naraku now, and Souta should have taken himself to school, though lately he never goes to class. I hope you don't mind if I take Akari to the library alone…?"

Kagome sighed. "If she trusts you, I see no reason why not. It's just… she's afraid of adults."

Naomi understood Kagome's hesitation. "No harm will befall her in my company, Kagome. Gray hairs I may have, but I'm still a mother!"

Kagome and Naomi were able to laugh together on that one, and Akari looked up at her mother in confusion.

"You'll understand when you're older, baby girl," Kagome told her. "Now go play for a little while." Akari nodded and bounced happily away, her curly hair bobbing back and forth. Kagome turned to her mother. "Is there anything I can help with?"

Naomi grinned. "The kitchen disaster wants to help?"

"Well, I feel weird having nothing to do," Kagome admitted. Naomi consented to let Kagome measure out ingredients that would be used in the next day's dinner bread. The small-talk was kept to mostly kitchen subjects as Naomi carefully guided Kagome through putting the bread together without totally obliterating the project, and since no one had yet died from it, Kagome figured she did it right. But she also knew it wasn't wise to count her eggs until they were hatched--or eaten in this case.

Akari, Kagome, and Naomi ate a small lunch of soup, bread rolls, and salad. Akari ended up needing a bath before she could go anywhere, so Kagome marched the young girl to the bathroom and helped her work the levers for the shower. After Akari was dressed once more in a clean blue outfit, Kagome took Akari to hand her into Naomi's care. "She's allergic to coconut," Kagome said.

Naomi laughed. "PMS?"

"No," Kagome started, but Naomi laughed harder.

"Paranoid Mother Syndrome, in this case. And yes, you have it." Naomi laughed harder.

"Whatever," Kagome grumbled. "Do you know when you'll be back?"

"Going to have a party in my absence?" Kagome rolled her eyes at her mother. "Until Akari doesn't want to be there anymore."

"See you next lifetime," Kagome smiled and watched her mother and daughter leave. Now alone in the house, except for the strange underground levels probably bursting with life, Kagome took to the stairs going up. She wasn't particularly tired, but she knew the sword that Sango had once given her was in here, as well as her old bow and arrows.

Not one for having nothing to do, she took the sword and the bow and arrows and prepared to go outside. Reflection off a glass bottle caught her eye; there in the middle of her desk were several shards inside a glass container. With a sigh, she put the container in the top drawer of her desk and made her way outside. Setting up a shooting range for the bow and arrows wasn't the hard part; the truly difficult part was getting at the targets in storage. Soon she had shed her jacket and was sweaty from moving things around.

Eventually she got one out and dragged it through the winter snow to the courtyard, only to prove she sucked just as bad with a bow as she used to, if not worse after five years of no practice. Over five, actually.

But when she finally put the bow down, frustrated with it, she took out the sword. Compared to the one Osage had made her, this one was about the same weight and size. The only difference was that it wasn't made by Osage and it most likely wouldn't fuse with her magic easily.

On her neck, the thin ring of scarring itched in the cold, but she ignored it as she put herself through pace after pace of what Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, and Touya had all taught her in this era and the previous one. Combining it with her own style of 'whatever move feels right', she found herself sweating profusely, breathing hard, and combining the sword attacks soon with flight. She was careful not to allow herself to fly too high, not wanting to attract attention.

With her body covered in the sweat of her workout, Kagome retrieved her bow and the arrows, though she found with some good humor at least she'd made each arrow onto the target. All she needed was a very large opponent and perhaps she might hit his arm or something.

Her intention was to just drop her things off in her old, somewhat barren room and then take a shower, but visitors, or more importantly, a visitor, stopped her. She noticed him the minute he appeared in her room, but knew he didn't mean ill will to her so didn't remove herself from her task of putting her weapons away.

"I watched you." he said after a silent stretch.

She finished coiling the bow string and wrapped it in oiled cloth before turning to him, a smile on her face. She hadn't noticed him watching. She'd been too focused on the sword and her wings, and making sure she didn't attract trouble.

"And what did you see?" she asked him, setting the oil cloth wrapped bow string down to sit on the end of her small bed. She began removing her socks and tossed them into the hamper.

"I saw an enemy I do not want to make." That was probably the closest thing to a compliment she'd ever get from him as far as their current line of conversation went. She smiled at him and pat the spot on the bed next to her.

"If you don't mind me being sweaty, you don't have to stand." He took the offer, sitting next to her.

"You promised to test your 'pretty new blade' on me."

"My pretty blade was taken away by Oshmage." She said evenly. "Once I get it back, though, maybe you'll be in trouble." She was joking and they both knew it, but it drew a chuckle from her once nameless friend.

Hiei said, "I'm pretty sure there's no way you'll land a blow." She was surprised when he turned to her and kissed her with a fiery passion that rivaled the fire element raging through his blood. For a second, she was too shocked to do anything but sit there dumbly, and then his burning desire for her was returned ten-fold as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled herself close to him. She could feel his happiness that she would finally return his love for her, and she knew it wasn't just an infatuation.

There was no turning back for either of them. By that point, both were far too wrapped up in the other.

When Naomi and Akari returned from the public library, Akari cheerfully set about collecting the lunch dishes and using Naomi's small step ladder, she was able to reach into the sink to help her grandma wash dishes for supper. "Now, you be careful, and when you get to the knives, let me know and I'll wash those." Akari pouted; daddy let her wash the knives, and he even let her play with his sword when mommy wasn't around.

But grandma's rules were enforced at grandma's house, so Akari nodded.

When dinner was almost ready, and Souta was grumpily home from school, Naomi knew it was almost time to set the table. Shortly after Souta returned and stormed up to his room, Naraku returned with Haru and Sheena, the adopted twins. Forcing the twins to keep an eye on Akari as she happily marched around setting out plates and silverware and cups, Naomi went to find Naraku upstairs in Souta's room.

It was surprising the two finally started to get along after Naraku went behind Naomi and let their son into The Rebellion's ranks. Naomi was still not happy about that, but Souta was nineteen now, and an adult capable of making his own decisions. She just didn't want to see him get hurt. Was that so wrong?

"Dinner is almost ready. Souta, make sure you wash your hands!" She left them before an argument could break out between her and her son. Two weeks ago, Souta had come home from school with blood on his hands and had gotten into a fight with another boy at school. She didn't know how it had happened or why her son had become such a ruffian.

Making her way down the hall, she knocked on Kagome's bedroom door quietly. Receiving no answer, she opened the door. The inside of the room was dark, so she flipped the light switch, only able to grin at what she saw. Her daughter was right. Naomi would be the first to know when Kagome had something to tie herself to her era.

A hand with a crescent moon on the back of it and maroon rings circling the wrist came up to block the overhead light. "Light," Kagome complained, the hand not blocking the light moving to keep the sheets to her chest in modesty.

"Dinner is ready, my young love birds!" Naomi sang happily and watched the fire apparition's peaceful features become a look of annoyance.

"Kagome, can I kill your mom?" he asked in a voice only Kagome heard.

Kagome elbowed him in the chest and hissed 'no' before saying aloud, "Okay, we'll be down." She was entirely embarrassed to have her mother walk in on the scene, but Hiei appeared only mildly annoyed. She guessed he really was unfazed by anything.

"We'll be eating in half an hour. The pot roast isn't quite done yet." Naomi then left the two alone, much to Kagome's pleasure.

Hiei asked quietly, "Can you get a larger bed? I'm too tall."

She glared at him. "Is that my fault? I rather enjoyed being taller than someone for once."

He never opened his eyes, but he said, "I couldn't have kissed you without looking like a complete moron if I was as short." he could feel her blush, the heat rising to her face. He reached out and pulled her close, grinning as he ran his hands along her spine. "And you like it when I do this…" he lightly dragged his claws across the area where feather wing base met her back and she shivered, embarrassed but delighted.

Her eyes started to close, but then she remembered it was almost dinnertime. She shot away from him, falling off the bed in the process which made him laugh. "Do you make a habit of falling over like that, or are you just that clumsy?"

She glared at him before throwing on her morning clothes and making her way to the bathroom down the hall, leaving him to ponder their actions alone. She didn't think about them at all, simply knowing that what they did, they'd done because it was right at the time. She hadn't been afraid even though she'd been raped before. This time was a special time. And he wasn't disgusted by her body; when she'd asked what he thought of her, he simplified her line of thinking by saying, "What do you think of my clashing, forbidden elements?"

That was how she came to realize that he didn't care if she was ugly or if she felt ugly. He liked her whether or not he wanted to, and that was that.

She smiled and hastily showered, wrapping a towel on her clean body as she walked to her room again. Hiei hadn't left, but he had gotten dressed in his usual black and gray attire. He watched as she shifted through a nearly bare closet and a nearly bare dresser for underclothes and suitable dining wear. She found her old yellow sundress and her light blue sweater that matched it.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked him once she'd donned the clothes.

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. I'd approve even if you didn't wear clothes." His eyes crossed and she raised an eyebrow at him. "That came out worse than it was supposed to," he added.

"No, no," she teased him, giggling as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself up for a kiss. He greedily complied with her desire and when they pulled away from each other, she said loftily, "I think you're just more of a pervert than you let on."

He smirked, his arms still around her waist. "Ah, those years of solitude must've done me in." he said, playing along.

They heard her mother call up the stairs again. "Would you four just get down here already?"

Kagome and Hiei looked at each other in surprise. "Guess we're not the last ones yet," Kagome muttered. The two of them reluctantly left their comfortable embracing in the room, and made their way downstairs. As they passed by Souta's room, Naraku and Souta were exiting that room.

Dinner passed by quietly, but small-talk around the table was made. Akari proudly told her mother in a show of charades how she'd done the dishes and set the table all by herself. Dinner was also a time for Haru and Sheena to argue over who got what food first. Sheena kept saying, "I was born first!"

Haru kept saying, "I was born second, so it's about time I get something first!"

Kagome found it surprising that Hiei and Souta quietly conversed between each other; it appeared to her that Hiei had been staying with her family for a while now, and had gotten to know them a bit. They were very accepting of him, though Haru did keep sending Hiei jealous glances when he thought Kagome wouldn't notice.

After dinner was over and people began to scatter to various places in the house, Haru declared loudly, "I think Hiei should sleep on the couch."

Kagome didn't like that idea, but before she got to voice her opinion, her mother clapped her hands. "What a marvelous idea, Haru!" She beamed, and Kagome felt betrayed for a moment. Her mother only let her stay in suspense for a minute though, because she added, much to Haru's growing dismay, "The couch does fold out, and it would be more suitable for three than Kagome's tiny little bed, don't you agree, Kagome?"

Kagome blushed, but nodded. She looked at Akari, who didn't seem to understand why Haru had burst out like that. "Would you like a sleepover in the living room?" she asked Akari, who was more than thrilled to sleep in the room with the magic box. They hadn't had a television in the demon world.

Hiei took Akari upstairs and helped the child turn the shower water on so she could scrub up after making a mess of herself at dinner. He sat patiently on the bathroom sink counter top for Akari to be finished showering and then helped her into her blue nightgown. The rosary he'd once worn stuck out like a sore thumb on Akari, being visibly too large for her.

He took her downstairs again and by that time, most everyone had gone to bed already. Naraku was drinking tea in the kitchen as Naomi did the dishes. By that time, Kagome had already pulled the couch out and put fresh sheets on it. Hiei noticed the lack of any heavy blanket substance. "Won't you get cold?" he asked.

"With two raging furnaces laying in the same bed?" Kagome chuckled. "And yes, you're sleeping by us too, daddy!" she teased, waggling her finger at him as if knowing he'd thought about sleeping elsewhere. Akari giggled noiselessly and climbed up on the fold out couch-bed to take her place in the middle, fluffing up her pillow as if it weren't a fresh, new one.

Kagome and Hiei sat down on the bed beside Akari as the young girl pleaded using her eyes or a bedtime story. Kagome never used to have that sort of trouble, and Hiei explained, "Staying here, your mom has told her a bedtime story every night. She's been spoiled."

Kagome sighed. It wasn't a terrible thing, but she didn't want her daughter thinking she needed something in order to sleep. "Oh alright." Kagome agreed. She whispered a story of a young girl who danced in the rain on a rooftop with a magical young prince, and when Akari fell asleep, Hiei pointed out the truth.

"I'm not a prince, and it wasn't raining that day."

Kagome laughed. "We also didn't get transported to a magical fairy land, but Akari enjoyed it. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"It doesn't exist. I merely do what is necessary for me to live."

"And I suppose trying to rule the world was necessary for your survival?" She laughed again when he nodded solemnly.

When they entered the kitchen, Hiei sat down and Kagome went to help with the dishes, drying and putting them away. For a few minutes, silence reigned again and the only sounds heard were the clatter of dishes in the sink and Naraku periodically stirring his tea.

After a while, Naraku set his tea down and asked, "When do you intend on returning?" There was no wondering who the question was directed at. Kagome thought about it for a moment and of what she now knew had to come to pass. She knew how things ended as they were embedded in Miroku's vast memory. And now she also knew something of how things ended for herself, or her future self anyway.

"Whenever Akari does," she said after a long pause. "Akari would not be able to go through that well if she did not have some task she must complete there. Right?"

Naraku shook his head. "Her task there is for the most part done already. She was to simply become the East's Secret-Keeper, and to unify the East and West with a treaty. She may be allowed through still, but you left us no record of her going back."

As Naomi emptied out the sink and scrubbed it clean, Kagome mulled over this information. "Kagome, it may be safer to leave Akari here with us," Naomi said.

Kagome put the last dish away and she and her mother joined the men at the table. "It may be, but then it may not." Kagome wondered what would happen if the underground society here were ever to be found out about. They called themselves The Rebellion, but Kagome didn't have any details as to who or what they were rebelling against. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"What about Sesshoumaru? He'd take care of her," Naraku offered.

Hiei added in a slightly bitter tone, "And me? Am I not worthy?"

Naomi chuckled, "Exactly the opposite. I'd prefer if it were you, but you must complete your task on the other side of the well. You didn't think it would let you through if you had no destiny to fulfill, did you?"

"Thank you, both of you," Kagome said. "But if the well lets her through, I'd like her to be with me." She looked at her father pointedly. "I'm sure you understand." Naraku nodded. Kagome didn't want to be the parent who wasn't there, and there was no telling how long it would be before she'd see the modern world again. "I'll go through when I'm ready." There were already so many of them who would now be traveling. With Sheena and Haru added to the huge group, they would have to split up already. If Hiei and Akari could also be added to top that off, traveling would be noticeably slower with such a large group, and fights would get messy as no one would know just where to attack.

Yes, splitting up into two or three small groups would be better.

Hiei asked, "What sort of destiny do I have?" he felt uncomfortable hearing such words directed at him. He liked to think that the things he did weren't predetermined and he did them because he wanted to not because destiny told him he was supposed to.

"You'll know. When it's time, you'll know." Naomi told him. "Both of you need to sleep now."

The two rose from the table and exited the room. As they crawled into bed still in their day clothes beside Akari, Hiei muttered, "I've sunk incredibly low if I'm listening to a human woman give me orders… and obeying them." Kagome couldn't help it. She laughed, but had to stifle it before Akari was woken.

When morning came, Kagome opened sleepy eyes to find Hiei simply lying there staring at her as she slept. Akari wasn't still in bed, despite the fact that the ticking analog clock on the wall read it was only five thirty AM.

"Has anyone ever told you, you scrunch your nose up when you're dreaming unpleasantly?" he asked her. She'd been having a bad dream about failing a test. She hadn't had one of those for years.

"Oh? And what do I do when I have a good dream?" She asked in a sweet voice.

He shrugged. "It's the first time I watched you sleep, so I don't know yet."

She smiled and curled up at his side. "You're incredibly adorable when you're sleeping," she told him. "Remember the time I stayed at your apartment?"

"Oh yeah." he said. "Those crazy neighbors of mine gave you sex mushrooms. Now that was a sight. At one point, I almost thought you'd try molesting me."

They were silent for a long time, so long that she almost fell back asleep wrapped in his strong arms. Unfortunately, at six AM a happy child decided it was time for her parents to stop being so lazy. She struggled up onto the high couch bed and began bouncing not just on the bed but on her parents.

Kagome groaned and she and Hiei both grabbed the noiseless giggling child as they sat up. Both of them hanging on to one side of Akari, they wondered what to do with her as Akari squirmed happily, ready to play.

"We were sleeping, Akari!" Kagome complained.

Akari giggled and clearly was saying, "You can sleep when you're dead!" with her charade act. Both parents hung their heads and released the child.

"She's your daughter," Kagome glared at Hiei, who was an early riser.

As Akari jumped off the couch bed and landed on her face, he quipped, "Whose is she?" Akari was unfazed by the heavy landing, jumping up and racing to wake the rest of the household. Soon everyone was awake and grumpy, but within a couple of hours, Naraku had taken Haru and Sheena to train further, Souta had left to skip school, and Naomi had begun shoveling the front courtyard leaving Hiei, Akari, and Kagome to their own devices.

Shortly afterward, Akari got bored of playing and went to sniff out a book she hadn't read yet, and Kagome and Hiei lay uselessly in the living room, wondering what to do with their lives that had somehow gotten complicated. Hiei was trying to puzzle out what his 'destiny' could be, and Kagome was trying to figure out if it were even possible that Hiei wasn't her future 'lover'. She didn't think he was simply trying to get a kick from her, considering his past.

Finally when lying there wasn't enough, Kagome got up and set about doing some work. She washed her clothes, took a morning shower, helped her mother shovel, made omelets for lunch, and by the time all that was done, she was running out of ideas of what to do next. The lunch dishes were done, and she was getting restless. She wasn't sure why, but she was.

She went upstairs to her room and found Hiei there, going through an old photo album of hers. One look at it told her it was one of the many she'd filled after coming back from the feudal era with roll after roll of camera film. It had become clear that the Polaroid camera was too bulky so she'd gotten a regular, much smaller film camera, and after that she'd switched to a digital camera because it was more convenient.

"It's strange," Hiei said softly, "because I know some of these people and they never once mentioned you." She looked over his shoulder as he delicately touched a picture of Sango and Miroku; Sango was beating Miroku over the head with Hiraikotsu.

"That's Sango and," he nodded, stalling her words.

"I know who they are," he said. "Sango took care of and raised me after the death of… of them…" She watched him set the album aside and when he tugged her hand for her to be closer, she shuffled onto the bed, letting him wrap his arms around her. "Miroku is the Guardian of the Barrier, and everyone knows who he is. No one's ever been sure what he is, but we know who he is. He grants access between the three worlds."

He knew that she knew the worlds were split at least twice, and he saw no reason to keep it from her. They sat in peace for a few more minutes before he released her and got up. He put her photo album back before leaving to check on Akari. Kagome went to do as she first intended; retrieve her weapons and practice. A sense of unease washed over her as she passed the drawer the shards were in, so before leaving, she crafted a string necklace out of yarn and tied the shards around her neck.

Practice with the bow was no better that afternoon and once Akari came out, Kagome simply stopped practicing. Kagome and Akari had a playful snow fight in which Akari was declared the victor, and after running around so long, Kagome had a stitch in her side. Suppertime was when it happened; the thing she'd been dreading all day long but hadn't been sure what it would be, ended up happening as she and her family were sitting down to eat. First, her body went taught, then she began coughing uncontrollably. Whispers went through her mind. _'Give me what I want,'_ the whispering said, and she knew it was the monster.

Despite the questions her family threw at her, what was wrong, where was she going, she ignored them all and completely left the shrine. They, at least, could be safe if she got through the well. She managed to make it to the door, and slammed it open, taking note that it had been repaired since the last time.

She pulled herself onto the lip of the well, denying the monster. She would not drink, simply because her body craved it. She was bit little over six years ago now, and had gone five without a single drink. Sure, she'd had dizzy spells and cravings which she could now contribute to her growing thirst, but this was her life and she was the master of it.

She managed to let herself fall into the well, passing through the portal to the other side. Normally she would have headed to Kaede's village, wouldn't she? Instead, she pulled herself out and went in the opposite direction with every intent to get herself lost until this thirst went away.

She did not expect for Hiei to follow her. "Go away," she demanded, having to brace herself against a tree to keep from looking at him. He didn't look like Hiei. He looked like meat. He ignored her and pulled her away from the tree, only to push her against another one with his body close to hers, using the tree and himself to block all escape.

"Do it," he demanded, and she realized her lips were touching his neck. How did he know that was what she craved? Never mind that he could read minds.

"No," she felt those fangs growing, and the monster was screaming at her to give it what it wanted. She found it impossible to say any more, because the more she voiced herself, the less will she had to resist.

What he said next was what caused her to give in. "When you kill me, I'll know to stay away…" Hadn't she said that to him in question about his raging elements? By then, his body stiffened and she had a hold on him. He didn't scream like Kohaku, but had to concentrate all of his energy on the Jagan to keep it from attacking her. She was at war with herself, demanding that the monster contain its hunger and not kill him.

She won the battle against the monster for Hiei's sake, but the monster simply took her in search of something else to feed on, leaving him struggling to sit up and with a great loss of blood as the holes seemed to repair themselves leaving only a massive hickey. She came upon a herd of deer, but the monster didn't care what they were. Blood was its craving and so she flew after them, tracking them. Finally she caught one, and ripped into it greedily.

Come morning, she was devastated by her actions, naked in a pool of icy winter water, trying to scrub the blood from her body. As a punishment, the monster had rolled around in the carnage, to remind her that though she was in charge, it too could do damage. Sobbing, she tried scrubbing places she just couldn't reach but had no success.

All it took was for Hiei to place his hand in the water pool and instantly it heated up. She looked guiltily at him before crying, "Why! Why did you do that?" He listened to her raving even as he slid in beside her fully clothed. She clung to him weakly, and he could feel her entire body shaking.

"You've done nothing but accept me time and again," he told her with nothing but honesty, "It wouldn't be right of me to leave you now. I've already recovered."

She tried to shove him away from her, not sure if she hated or loved that he was so understanding of this. "Stop being like that!" she screamed at him. "Stop knowing! Stop caring, and stop it, just stop it!" She knew she wasn't making sense. She knew that with mind reading, to a certain extent they couldn't control whose thoughts they heard. Sometimes it was within a set distance they could hear thoughts, but sometimes just those who were 'close' to them were the thoughts they heard without trying.

He let her be angry knowing that sooner or later she'd calm down, and when she did he wanted to be there. The woman before him had made him change. At some point after meeting her, he'd gone from thinking of ways to destroy and rule the universe, to indecision on what colors layered well together for his daughter's kimono.

When Kagome had fallen against him in despair, he had her lean against drop off bank and said, "Whatever you did to make your wings invisible, remove the spell." Instantly they became visible and he saw the remains of her punishment. He used the water and his fingers to preen the feathers in the places she couldn't reach, until the blood was washed out. When he was finished he took her clothes and began scrubbing them, remaining silent all the while.

She cried softly into the bank, wanting to be anywhere else but near the man who had been known as forbidden his whole life. At the same time, she felt the short distance between them was too great and she wanted to be wrapped up in him, around him, never to be parted. It was a complex set of conflicting emotions inside her.

Before she knew it, he was dragging her sorry carcass from the pool and putting warm, clean, dry clothes in her hands. "Get dressed." he told her, "Or I'll dress you. Either way you're putting those clothes on, and we're going home."

Home. She liked how he said that so casually. It was a place where she and he could be together with their daughter. She nodded and dressed herself, telling the wings she didn't want them to be seen. They disappeared from Hiei's sight, but as usual not from hers'.

"If it happens again, I want you to chain me up," Kagome told Hiei seriously.

Just as seriously, he replied, "No." That was the end of that conversation. He had no intention of letting her let it get that bad in the future. They made it back to the modern era by lunch time, and joined the family for supper. Akari was delighted to have her parents back, and no one asked why Kagome only picked at her food.

The next night Kagome announced at dinner that she would be returning. No questions needed to be asked, but Haru and Sheena said they were ready whenever she was and Akari understood the implications and went racing outside, Hiei following. Kagome wrapped her wings around herself and pulled on a jacket, retrieved her sword from Sango from the corner of the room, and got the bow and arrows as well though she doubted they would do much for her. The jewel shards were still on the yarn necklace.

She was about to embark on the last stretch of her journey, and once it was done she would get her fairy tale happy ever after.

**I just might make my goal of Plot One: Complete at 200! I am glad I got this chapter complete ahead of time, so Happy New Years Eve, and Happy New Years in a few hours. I just hope the chapter isn't too large to post. Boy would that suck! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I blame the reviewers for my ambition to post this the minute it was finished, though I'm not going to demand reviews anymore, as promised! Thanks again, Happy New Years, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	194. Naraku's Plans

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: It's real sad when my mind keeps thinking of ways to procrastinate the inevitable end to this story… "I could do this in the sequel!" –Insert someone graciously smacking TK back to her senses… "Right, right… no sequels… already a three plot story…" –TK secretly plots a sequel behind the scenes… Then her work room is set aflame… _

Chapter 194:  
Naraku's Plans

"Kagome, wait." She paused with her foot on the lip of the well. Everyone else had already gone through, and she had procrastinated, going after a bow she still wouldn't be able to use to save her life. She had Sango's sword and that would go a long way in helping her.

She turned back and saw Sesshoumaru standing in the doorway. A smile spread across her features. "Sesshoumaru, you of all people should know I have to go back." She couldn't help but laugh at the look of exasperation on his face. "What is it?"

**-Somewhere in the Modern Era- **

She smiled as she stood over the body of someone who had once been her best friend. Her hands felt powerful. She could strangle a person with her bare hands, and that feeling was the greatest she had ever come across. She reached down to the body and straddled it, running her fingers across still warm flesh. How would it taste?

She laughed, "How would you taste, Ayumi?" She licked the body almost fondly, and her own body felt on fire with passion as she did it. She took the amulet from around her neck, staring at its seemingly incomplete form. "Ayumi, I'm going to complete Sephira…" she said. "I didn't want to kill you, but you were nosy and found out my plans to make Kagome mine."

The dead body didn't respond. It stared up at a ceiling from its position on the floor. "Aw, poor Ayumi… But now I'll have to kill Hojou too; he'll notice your disappearance." She giggled and forced a kiss on the dead body, reveling in the bitter taste of death. "How shall I do it? Shall I have him shoot himself? I could make it look like he killed you, and then himself. Oh the possibilities are endless, Ayumi…"

She laughed again and replaced the amulet around her neck before walking over to the phone. "You know, Ayumi," she said as she began dialing Hojou's cell phone number, "that bastard needs to die." She was then scowling as she thought about it. Hiei was his name, and he was all over Kagome. She didn't like that. Kagome was hers, and hers alone. But Kagome went and had a child with that freak…

She'd kill the child too, as a punishment for Kagome's disobedience.

She put the phone to her ear and it began ringing. "Hey, Ayumi!" he chirped happily. A sadistic smile spread across her face.

"Hojou-kun," she said as cheerfully. "It's Yuka."

"Oh, hi, Yuka. What're you doing over at Ayumi's? I thought you had work today?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "Ayumi called me over and said she had important news. She'd like you to be here to hear it as well. Will you come by?"

"Yeah, sure. I can be there in an hour or so, can it wait until then?"

Her eyes fell on the dead body. "We've got all the time in the world, now…" She hung up, chuckling. "Ayumi, your bo is coming. He's coming to his death. Oh this is going to be so fun…"

**-Feudal Era- **

They were all waiting for her, just as the future Sesshoumaru had claimed they would be. Every last one of them was there, save two people. Shippou was not there, and neither was Seirra. But now Kagome knew why Seirra wasn't there, and where she was physically—or spiritually, as it were.

She took in all their faces and the mixed emotions they displayed from a cold disposition to annoyance, and she couldn't help but giggle. There were new, though admittedly not unfamiliar, faces as well, although whether or not they were to be a part of the Naraku-hunting party, she didn't know.

Sesshoumaru stood regarding Haru and Sheena with his golden eyes, and they stared eagerly back at him. "It's dad's friend," Haru began.

Sheena finished for him, "Wow, he really is hot without his charm on!"

Sheena's comment alone made Kagome nearly tumble back into the well with uncontained laughter. Sure, she did enjoy a good bout of hysterics every so often, but generally kept that in the privacy of her bedroom.

Akari was cheerfully tugging on Sesshoumaru's pant leg, trying to get his attention and when she finally managed, he looked at her and she raised her arms in her traditional 'uppie' gesture. For a moment, Sesshoumaru appeared at a loss, and Hiei rescued him from having to do much by picking the child up, doll and all.

Inuyasha spat out bitterly, "Who're they, Kagome?" He jerked his thumb at Haru and Sheena in an almost offensive jab. "They ain't comin'."

Still unable to stop laughing, Kagome was near tears and doubled over. "They," Kagome attempted, but had to cover her mouth to stifle a renewed set of giggles.

"Hey!" Haru raised his arm in threat that the half-breed showed no concern over. "Don't talk to my sister that way."

Kagome could already see problems with their 'Naraku-hunting group'. Their numbers were so large now that if they traveled together they could pose a problem or a threat to locals. No matter who they were, traveling in such powerful numbers (several princes and nobles and their guards and priestesses and monks as well as powerful demon commoners) would set unease in the locals, and from what Sesshoumaru of the future had imparted on her, it was in their best intent to split the party.

He was only telling her that because he already lived through it and so he knew from his past experiences that she'd requested to split the traveling parties up. He wouldn't let her know the reactions, but she already knew how things happened through Miroku's memories.

Seeing Miroku standing amongst her friends and knowing he would betray them in the months to come almost made her lose sight of what she was fighting for in the first place. The truth was, she needed a purpose to come through the well and complete the jewel, even if it was her duty, she could not make herself abide by that duty without a good reasoning.

So to make herself come through the well, she gave herself (or at least her future self did anyway) the reason that if she didn't come through the well, she would not be shaped into who she was at that moment. She would not have Akari, or Hiei, and her happy-ever-after would never take root.

Her entire life was solely dependant on the actions and consequences of that which happened in the past, and in the future.

However, and it killed her to know, she lied to herself. Or she lied to her family giving them false delusions that someday she would have the chance to live better. But through the future version of Miroku, she knew the true way things would end, and it would be far from her justly deserved happy-ever-after.

Before then, she would have to set things straight. However, she was not so much a coward that she would not see this through. Whether the letter her future self wrote to her was truth, or whether it was an untruth, she had what dignity she possessed directed at the defeat of the one named Naraku if for no other selfish reason than to be sure a horrible future he would want did not come to pass and Akari would remain safe as she grew up.

So it was this that forced her through the well this time. It was this that made her continue through. It was the selfish desire to create a world where her daughter could exist. She had the _opportunity_ to change time; it was something not many could do. All those people who live in their time might think they could change time, but their fate was predetermined…by Kagome's actions.

She fell to her knees, and suddenly the hysterical laughter that was confusing all her old companions turned to broken sobs. She felt tiny little arms wrap around her shoulders. Her daughter was trying to comfort her, but knowing now what she did… Knowing she would be sending many to their death in her selfish actions, some of those who would die were friends…

And then suddenly questions started bursting out of the mouths of her friends. What was wrong? Why was she crying? What happened? Was she alright?

She tried to calm herself; tried to wipe her tears away. When she could see, she wasn't surprised to find Hiei had left the group. His aura was simply gone. She couldn't blame him for leaving. He had very little experience socializing to begin with; he disliked large confrontations. She'd asked him once about it. His response was nonchalant, "I feel threatened. I can never relax in a large group of people."

And then, it was over. Her tears simply stopped. She didn't do it, her heart did. As she wrapped her arms around her baby girl, conceived through immaculate conception yet not without a father, her heart locked away her uncertainties. If she had to betray the _world_ to make sure her daughter existed…she would. She would do it in a heart beat. She would do it in less than the time it took for her heart to beat.

She stood up, bringing her daughter with her, curled in her arms with her doll. Her spectrum shifting eyes were not smiling as they came in contact with confusion. Sesshoumaru just had to point it out, didn't he? He knew more about her than most. He understood her. If things had been different, perhaps she would have pursued something more with her friend.

Things had been different. She couldn't—in all good conscience—take that at hand. And she wouldn't give up the most precious thing in her arms for anything. She couldn't help a hard look enter her eyes; she had to send them to their death. Sesshoumaru would survive, she knew. Somehow Naraku survived. Miroku took upon himself the responsibility of the Great Barrier that would separate three worlds.

She was a cruel woman. But she would do this.

"We'll have to split up." Several of her friends opened their mouths to argue, but she shifted Akari so she could hold the tiny girl in one arm and held her free hand up to stall arguments. "Naraku waits with his incarnations and his greed-struck recruits, and I know where we're to meet them… I just don't know when. However, splitting up won't be a problem. What will be a problem is deciding how we travel now. Akari will be with me. I won't have it any other way." Hiei would follow whatever group Akari was in regardless of his feelings for Kagome. She would have preferred that anyway.

It was, surprisingly, the mature young Rin who stepped forward. Her kimono was one of beauty rather than sturdy traveling-wear, but she had not a wrinkle to her. Her hair was still up in her old odd hair style, and that made her appear younger than she was.

"Perhaps, Lady Kagome," Rin clasped her hands before her and bowed as if she held the highest respect for Kagome. "We travel as we used to..? Lord Sesshoumaru, Junokobi, Ah-Uhn, and I could go our way. Lord Kouga and his attendees," Ginta and Hakkaku glared at being called servants, "could go their way, and Lord Inuyasha could take his original group another."

Sango sighed. "I don't think that's going to work," she stated. "Kagome's right to think the groups were too large, but our group was pushing size simply with the five of us. I have no choice but to travel with the brat," she waved to the small, grubby boy next to her in the cold snow wearing very little. "And Ryuichi's a bastard and won't let me travel any way but with him."

None of them had to ask why; those that lived in the past knew the meaning of the mark on her forehead. It was a symbol of ownership to Ryuichi. Kagome's eyes fell on Ryuichi. He was standing in the back of the group by the incredibly tall demon Kagome had seen in her dreams so many times over the past years. His name was Kaito, and when Kagome dreamt of him, he was always in council with Sesshoumaru.

She also knew why Ryuichi would travel with Sango. She'd seen it in her dreams. Sango was disgusted with herself for it, but the two of them were lovers. She'd betrayed herself and everything she believed in by doing what she did. For that, Sango might never forgive herself. There was no possible way Kagome could change Ryuichi's mind.

"Are those new to the group to also travel?" Kagome asked. She saw a few faces; Kaito was one, Junokobi another. Lord Kaoi, previous regent of the Western Lands, was there as well and his eyes flashed with hatred when he looked at Kagome. She sent him a little smirk. "Would the Lord Kaoi leave his Queen alone so long?"

"My Queen is a proper woman of Nobility, bred and raised to rule. You no more belong in the world of men than His Majesty's ward." Kagome knew eyes were now on her and Kaoi. Some of them bristled with anger at Kaoi's obvious lack of respect toward her and Rin. But they all did wonder how she'd handle herself. They hadn't seen her in over five years; none of them knew how she—an aging human—might react.

She looked down at Akari's face, smoothing her daughter's curls out of her face. Bored with the proceedings, Akari decided a nap was a smart idea. Beside that, Akari was still a little girl and it was nearing bedtime; the moonlight shining on the snow was the only light. That didn't mean it wasn't bright; it was so clear of a night that she could perfectly see the features on all the other's faces.

Kagome smiled. "Lord Kaoi, I will say this only once. I am _not_ of this world, and I have the _power_ to change _everything_." She pulled on the power inside her; the priestess power curled further into her, revealing the second, stronger, more moldable power. She pulled that power from her, cupping it in one hand. She let it become tiny marbles, and the marbles clacked together in excitement. "I am the Chosen One, Kaoi. More powerful than anything you could ever imagine, my life exists in all worlds, not just one."

She dropped the marbles. The five of them landed in the snow. "I became the Chosen One to save my daughter from a fate sure to be like mine. I take this responsibility on my shoulders so that she is free to live without Fate dictating her every movement, like mine has." Kaoi looked at his feet, then bent and scooped up the marbles almost as if fearing what would happen if he didn't.

"I might not have seen you," she whispered, "but I definitely heard your voice. You exist in the future." She turned to Sheena. "Take her," she urged, and Sheena took Akari from Kagome. Once Akari was safe in her sister's arms, Kagome turned back to Kaoi. She pulled her jacket off and let it fall to the ground. Her wings were glad to have the chance to unfold. "Horrors that you, yourself, have never seen in your long life of servitude to the greatest of demons, I have been witness to."

The silence was as biting as the cold now that her little heater was in Sheena's arms. It was almost oppressive. The young boy near Sango sat in a mud puddle, but his crimson eyes were focused on Kagome with a seriousness that rivaled the future Hiei's. She smiled at the boy, but Kaoi was her current attention.

"This," she said, indicating the scars covering her arms, "is you, my Lord. You step the boundaries, _anyone_ who steps the boundaries of their menial existence, and this is what happens. I tried to protect Akari from a fate so unfair, and it was forced on her… on me… her blood is on my hands, and yet all I think of is how to make it better. How to _kill_ those who would touch her? How do I, who hates death, find myself reveling in the idea that blood will soon wash my hands?"

She licked her lips. "By being who I am, I can change the future; I can _change_ what happened to her, even though it has already happened in my and her life." She walked forward, her feet crunching in the snow, and placed a scarred hand on his cheek. Her voice became a mere whisper as Hiei's aura came closer. "I can mess with the very foundation of time." Her free hand wrapped over the marbles in his hand.

She let more power flow into the marbles, and his eyes widened. He could feel the marbles absorbing into his flesh, becoming like blood in his veins. "So best be to you, not offend me." She breathed. He stared at his hands; already he could feel the difference inside him. The power was coursing through him, and it was exhilarating. It left a burning sensation behind, but this power had incredible and endless potential.

"I may not have been born into royalty," she breathed into his ear, "but to protect my own existence, you'd be surprised how like you I am. I took a vow to do everything my King asked of me, if it was in my power to do so. I would break that vow, regardless of the consequences, if my King asked me to do something I felt would endanger my little girl."

He narrowed his eyes at her, almost as if he knew where she was going with her lengthy speech. "You wouldn't dare," he hissed venomously. "To attack me would be to go against your King."

She laughed and released him, taking a step back. "Oh, but I would… several times over, I would…" She poured more magic into the power already flowing through his veins, and blood started dripping out of his nose and ears. He was fighting the pain, she knew. She could change the future; no one could stop her from it. If he was dead, Akari would never have felt her pain.

And then arms wrapped around her, Hiei's strong arms supported her. She could feel the malice rolling from his body in waves. He spoke in her mind, _I know what you're doing, and it needs to stop._ Stop it? She couldn't possibly stop it now. Akari would be saved from suffrage. _He is a demon, and if he has indeed lived so long, he may have done something in the time it takes to get to us that affected your family… and your own birth. If I must, I will take control of you and stop it._

She released the power and it flowed out of Kaoi's pores, formed its little marbles, and then came back to her. He was right, damn him. Her efforts to stop what happened to Akari would indeed be fruitless because although she did control time, it was possible the affect would backfire or some other danger would take its place, one greater and more damaging than what already happened.

At least, he didn't embarrass her by dictating his thoughts aloud, though that might have been laziness on his part. He had already declared that using telepathy was an easier way to speak. He was a powerful demon, with ambitions to rule the world (or had been), but he was so lazy. He could have had the world if he really wanted it.

"Split up your groups, send away those who would not travel, and be done with this discussion," he declared. "I grow tired of waiting." He released Kagome, moved over to Sheena, and took Akari from her. Then, without another word, he had once more disappeared.

Kaoi was gone. He'd left the minute Kagome's power was released from his body, leaving only droplets of blood and footprints in the snow to prove the existence of a person who once stood there. Kagome sighed and rubbed her face. Couldn't he, for once, just stay? She almost felt even colder to have two minutes with his superheated arms around her.

Sheena and Haru began speaking, "Why not," Sheena began, and her brother continued.

"—split everyone—"

"—up according—"

"—to strengths?" Haru finished.

"Or something like that?" Haru and Sheena said in unison.

Rubbing her temples, Kagome simply turned and walked away. She knew eyes followed her; she knew they started to walk after her. Instead of letting them follow, she crouched and then shoved herself up into the air, her wings pumping and creating gusts of wind that disturbed the snow. She circled up into the sky, then flew in the direction she could feel Akari's pulsing aura. Hiei could hide his, but not hers.

Left alone with a bunch of strange demons and humans, even if Sheena and Haru knew their older versions, the two felt slightly apprehensive. "Great," Haru muttered.

"Wonderful," his sister added.

Then, casting aside their apprehension, Sheena took a step forward. She grabbed Kagome's jacket out of the snow and shook it off. "Alright then!" she said. "Here's how this'll work! The Guardian'll go with Lady Sango." They gave her a confused look.

Haru whispered, "I don't think they know he's the Guardian yet…"

Sheena huffed, "Well, that sucks. That means the world hasn't," she yelped as her brother cuffed her ear. "Ow! You didn't have to hit me, bastard!"

"Dad said no talking 'bout the future. Kagome might do it, but she knows what she's doing." He turned to the crowd and pointed to Miroku. "You can go with Lady Sango and Lord Ryuichi." He pointed at Inuyasha. "You're cool looking, so you can go with Sheena and me, 'cause we're the coolest here anyway."

That was when the arguments broke out. Inuyasha started it, and then everyone chimed in. No one in the group noticed Junokobi slip away in all the hustle, not even Kaito with his watchful eyes, but that was mostly because the old demon was sleeping standing up, bored with the proceedings.

**-elsewhere- **

Naraku smirked as his view from Kanna's mirror portrayed the arguments. "So, they're splitting up, are they?" he inquired. He smirked as he looked out the window of the Eastern castle. He was having fun with this game, and he fully intended to have more fun as he wrapped them all into his twisted schemes.

"It would seem so…" his 'guest' grumbled. The wolf demon had proven useful in the civil war Naraku had begun in the Eastern Lands. Wolves who hated to play second to a fox who by law of nature was less than the wolves wanted to rule, and yet the Eastern King had risen a loyal army. The fight was even… for now.

"Kanna, locate the ice demon who left the group." Naraku took a last look out over the snowy terrain and licked his lips before looking at the void incarnation. The void did not show any expression. The milky mirror simply seemed to scan the land surrounding the well and then came to rest on the ice demon. He was walking with his halberd clenched in his fingers.

The wolf demon growled. "What does any of this have to do with giving us the Eastern Lands?" He was an impatient one, but he was also 'chosen' by Naraku to take the throne of the Eastern Lands. He did wonder why Naraku wouldn't try claiming it for himself, but Naraku said he had bigger fish to catch than a throne.

"It has everything to do with you taking the throne… simply because these people will undoubtedly stand in the way. Keeping tabs on them is one way to ensure success." Naraku turned to his mind-reading incarnations. "Gantou, Jinji," he started, "find the Western Queen." He took a scroll from his haori. "Tell her it will soon be time to repay her debt to me, and that this has the instructions on how I wish to be repaid."

"A quest," said Gantou with a smirk.

"For us?" Jinji took the scroll. Then they were gone.

"I will send spies to keep tabs on them," the wolf demon sneered. Naraku nodded, but knew the effort to be fruitless. They would find the spy out instantly. Naraku wasn't underestimating his opponent anymore, but now that he had the monk spying on them, and the monk's loyalty for the promised kill, his plans were falling into place.

Naraku smiled and placed a hand over his all-demon heart. He was pure demon, and it felt good. The answer lay not in ridding himself of a human heart, but in ridding himself of the human in his heart. To become full demon, he cast aside the humanity given to him by the thief Onigumo. And soon, the world would become two worlds, and he would rule over both. Demons and humans, parted forever, the unnatural half-breed would no longer exist.

To destroy half-breeds, and the pain of their existence, he would split the worlds. He knew how it felt to be looked down upon simply because he was a half-breed. Hadn't that old monk, grandfather to the monk now in his employ, shown him just that? To prove his worth, Naraku had cursed the monk and his lineage.

The wolf stormed out of the chambers awarded to Naraku. Naraku knew the wolf wouldn't understand, but in doing what he planned to do, Naraku would effectively eradicate the chance that any half-breed would ever be born again. In years, the half-breeds who were sent to the demon's barrier would die out, and the last scrap of humanity would disappear, leaving nothing but purity in the demon line and purity in the human line.

The wolf's hope to rule over the Eastern Lands would become a non-issue. The only one doing any ruling would be Naraku, who would become god over all. People would worship him. They would thank him for taking away all the impurities. They would bow to him, praise him, love him, and sacrifice for him.

"He arrives at his destination," Kanna said blankly. Naraku turned back to the mirror. Kanna was indeed correct. The ice demon had stopped. Nearby, sitting on a tree branch with her lover's arms wrapped around her, and her child in her arms, was the priestess he'd waited so long for. She was the last piece to the puzzle. He would only need to sacrifice her to the jewel to get his wish. Such a pity he couldn't have the satisfaction of making the wish himself, but it had been brought to his attention that the jewel was the creation of a human, and for that reason only a human would be able to utter the words of the wish.

It was perfect then that the monk would help him and all he asked for in return was the life of the one who stole his love. Once the Guardian of the Jewel had been sacrificed, and the blood of her heart spilled on the jewel, the monk would make Naraku's wish. Of course, Naraku wouldn't jeopardize his plans by allowing the monk to know she had to die. Wishes cost a hefty price. But for his vision of a world of peace, Naraku would pay any price.

Again Naraku wished he could get a Saimyoushou close, but they all knew what the presence of one felt like. Naraku couldn't hear what was said between the priestess and the ice demon, but for the ice demon to seek her out, it was obviously important.

**-elsewhere- **

Kagome smoothed her daughter's curls. Her wings were folded around her form again in that seemingly impossible way, like a tight fitting long-sleeve shirt made of feathers. Touya had said they were like a personality, and he was right.

"Junokobi, what do you want?" she asked with a sigh. Her lover might pretend he was sleeping with his arms around her and Akari, but he was awake and she knew it. She was warm with him and Akari being two furnaces, one in front, the other behind. His breath caressed her neck, and the world was right with him there.

Her regret was that she would leave him so soon. She had limited time, and he probably knew it. He was a mind-reader, and with what was coming, he probably knew. If he did know, he wasn't complaining about it. He wasn't going to stop her, though she wished he would. He would also know even though she wanted him to try stopping her, she would go either way.

"Oshmage got my cousin back. The Queen walked right into Tkero forest, picked up Yukina by her hair, and drug her back to Yuu." Kagome felt Hiei's heartbeat pick up, and his arms twitch just slightly in surprise. "Was this how you wanted it to be? I told you, I need to kill him, or are you still waiting for that brat to get strong enough to kill Oshmage before you end my cousin's enslavement?"

Kagome smiled and knew that Hiei's mind was whirling, and if it wasn't, it would be in a moment. "Have you listened to anything I have said to you Junokobi? Or has it gone in one ear and out the other?"

"I know what you told me," he growled, "but that doesn't escape the fact that Yukina is in danger. I'd kill him myself, but his Majesty forbade me from leaving his senses."

Hiei peered down at the blue eyed demon, a chill to his voice as he spoke, "So you claim to care though because of a little political order, you freeze up? If you really cared, you would go against orders and kill the offender anyway."

Kagome raised one hand behind her and touched Hiei's cheek. He silenced, but she knew he was trying to figure out if the Yukina mentioned is the same as his sister. Hiei didn't follow the same views that Junokobi did; Junokobi was raised by nobles. Hiei was raised by the wilds. Hiei's code of honor was as twisted and complicated as his elements. Junokobi followed orders, Hiei gave orders.

"My cousin died defending her whelps. None of it would have happened if Oshmage didn't gain control of the Hell Dragon. If he didn't get control of that, he wouldn't have gotten my cousin and seduced her, and there would have been no chance such an abomination as that whelp could be born." Junokobi spat on the ground to show his displeasure. Maybe it was a demon thing, spitting? She recalled Hiei did it when he was showing his disdain.

Kagome chuckled, her eyes coming in contact with Junokobi's as she shifted carefully further into her lover's arms. "That abomination sits behind me now." She knew of Hiei's surprise through the fact that his fast beating heart skipped several beats, and Junokobi's lips pursed as he glanced at Hiei.

"Impossible!" he snapped.

"Why is it impossible?" Kagome asked Junokobi. "I'm not of this world. He is not either."

Junokobi said, "Prove it." Kagome knew that Hiei was wondering if it was possible, since his memories were different than was spoken. Silence extended for a long time before Junokobi stated, "As I thought, you _are_ just a fire apparition. You may look like Oshmage, but my cousin's whelp you are not."

Hiei sighed, so soft Kagome would have missed it if she didn't feel his breath on her neck. "You wish for proof of my heritage, I can give it to you." He lifted his hand and Kagome watched as a small flame built in the center. Then ice began to mold around the fire, but the fire in the center continued to live. It looked like a marble, so smooth, with a flickering center. He tossed it down to Junokobi and the ice demon caught it. "Leave us now, or I will remove you."

Junokobi scowled at the order but Kagome smiled down at him. "Take a look at the child with Sango. Then at my Hiei. The similarities are too great to pass off. Now, I recommend you get back, or Sesshoumaru will have decided for you to leave you behind. Would you want that?"

Junokobi scowled deeper, but he took off the way he came. Kagome felt Hiei kiss her neck and his arms became secure around her body. Once more silence took hold, but neither was bothered by it at all. She was simply comfortable, having Hiei there. She was content having him place butterfly kisses on her, and having her daughter in her arms.

Eventually she fell asleep like that, but come morning, they had to return. She regretted it, and wondered if it would be possible to just travel her and Hiei and Akari. Probably if she said that was how she wanted to travel, that would be how she traveled.

During the night, she'd had a great idea, and she was eager to set it in motion. All she needed was paper and ink. She thought Haru and Sheena might have a pen and paper. Back in the company of all her old friends, Hiei left her and Akari. Akari, hugging her doll, approached the little version of Hiei and began poking him. She wanted to play, but his eyes went wide and he hid behind Sango's leg.

"So has it been decided?" Kagome asked.

Sango nodded. "You, your daughter, and I will travel with my unfortunate tagalongs. Seirra's been missing since the Queen came, so you and I are going to look for any signs of her. Inuyasha and Miroku and those twins are going to search for Shippou while they try to pick up a trace of Naraku. Sesshoumaru will travel in his usual way, but with frequent trips back to the castle. Kouga has to return North, but he'll search his lands for Naraku in case he decided to cross the borders there. Lord Kaito had no intention of joining our searches. He has family here, and that is why he came, but Sesshoumaru's asked him to return to the castle to oversee things in his stead."

Kagome nodded. "If I could just speak to Miroku alone, we can set off then." Miroku looked at her with surprise, but followed her as she led away from the group. She could feel Hiei's presence following; he wouldn't leave her alone. She hated for him to hear, but he may as well. He already knew, in a way.

Once out of hearing range of the demons, she turned to Miroku and saw him leaning on his staff in a casual fashion. "I know." It was all she said for him to look stricken with horror. She had his attention. "You left, torn by what has become of Sango. But you have a plan, don't you? To stop Naraku from whatever he's planning…"

He hadn't told anyone that, and he'd managed to keep the mind-reading incarnations from being able to find out by locking the memories away with a purifying spell. It took a lot to do, but he hadn't told anyone. How could she know?

"You told me," she said simply. The shock on his face showed her he was confused. He didn't understand. "I won't stop you. My knowledge, obtained from your mind, tells me everything that happens in the final battle. I just want your guarantee that it will be painless."

"What will be painless?" he asked, still confused.

"You'll know when it happens. Just promise." He nodded warily and she hugged him fiercely. "I forgive you…" she breathed, and he felt relief flood his veins. She didn't forsake him for betraying her and the others by turning to Naraku. He still felt guilty, but it was hardest to imagine her pain at why he would do it.

He dropped his staff and wrapped his arms around her. "A happy-ever-after," she breathed. "That's what we fight for… that's why I won't stop you from doing what you need to do." She knew he would be misinterpreting her words, but when the final battle came around, he would understand perfectly what she had been trying to say. He would hate her then for imprisoning himself, but at the same time, he would love her.

"Good luck," she said. She pulled herself onto her tip-toes to kiss his forehead, then backed away from his embrace. "You have my blessing." She watched his shoulders slump. She couldn't stay with him. She left him there, hearing him fall, but unable to turn back. She approached Sango and the two children. Akari was hugging her doll and Sango was glaring at the boy for hiding behind her.

A glance around told her everyone had disappeared, exceptions being Inuyasha's group and Kagome's group. Inuyasha and Sheena were glaring daggers at each other. Haru and Ryuichi were almost childishly whispering bets of who would start the fight first. Kagome went over to Sango, "What happened between those two?" she whispered.

"Really, I'm not sure," Sango whispered back. "Everyone was shouting at the top of their lungs over who would travel with who, and then suddenly Inuyasha was pinning her to the ground shouting for her to take back saying something. No one's sure what she said, but she refused."

Kagome blinked. "And we're sending her with him? I'm not so sure…"

"It's the only option." Sango said. "Ryuichi stated he was following you, that means you and me are stuck with him, and the twins there are stuck with Inuyasha. Put them in any other group, and they get too big. I'm sure they'll survive."

"Loser!" Sheena snorted.

"Bitch!" Inuyasha sneered.

Kagome blinked, then grabbed Sango's arm. "Haru, take care of your sister!" Kagome waved. She pulled Sango toward Kaede's village. "Akari Dekage, come on, sweets."

Sango said in a somewhat harsh voice, "Brat, come!"

The young boy stammered, "But I am coming."

"I was talking about Ryuichi." Kagome could feel Hiei tracking her.

A quick trip to Kaede's village provided them with a few supplies. Kaede was sick, coughing blood, but had lived a long life. She declared she would be happy as long as all the younglings she'd met were happy. Her apprentices insisted Kaede take it easy and stop working, but Kaede was as stubborn sometimes as Inuyasha could be.

They couldn't stay long; Kagome was going to Yuu. She had to get her pretty sword, and she wanted to know what happened to Osage and Xiu Mei. She thought Xiu Mei and Osage might have returned to Xiu Mei's hut in Yuu, but there was that possibility that they knew other people and had taken shelter elsewhere.

They were on the road by nightfall, and set camp up in the snow. Ryuichi built a fire, with young Hiei to use his fire element to light the wood on fire. Kagome's Hiei hadn't joined them all day, and even stopped, he didn't show up. So Kagome and Sango curled up against each other and the children and slept. Ryuichi sat on a tree-branch all night, keeping guard.

The winter passed that way. Granted, there was only a month left to winter in the feudal era, but Hiei simply hovered nearby; he never came in. Kagome got the idea that he was uncomfortable by his younger self, and she could imagine he would be especially after spending time with the child. He was obsessed with learning to fight, nothing else mattered. He wouldn't play with Akari, called himself disgusting, and was afraid of nearly everything.

Kagome supposed it didn't help that Hiei probably didn't remember seeing himself in his youth, so wanted to avoid extended contact that could imprint into the child's mind, just in case it really was him. Kagome had a sneaking suspicion that there was another explanation for why her lover couldn't remember things, or was remembering inaccuracies.

Sometimes they would hole up in a village, if they could make it to one before nightfall. More often than not they passed through a village during the day and then was in between villages at night so they slept on the road. Akari constantly got dirty no matter how many hot spring baths she got; her elements melted the snow and created mud.

It was when muddy spring had taken root that their traveling finally got them to Yuu. "What are we doing here?" Sango asked Kagome. Sango had assumed up until that point that they were wandering aimlessly; Kagome hadn't really discussed their travel itinerary with Sango. Instead, she simply wandered east hoping they'd eventually get to Yuu.

"The Lord stole something important from me. I am going to get it back," she said. She led them through the streets toward Xiu Mei's hut. It was still there. She entered, finding neither Xiu Mei, nor Osage. Kagome said, "Just wait here, both of you, watch Akari for me. There's a public bathhouse down the street."

Sango spoke up just as Kagome was about to leave. "Wait, I'll come with you!" She left her bone boomerang, but brought her sword. Ryuichi didn't look pleased to be left behind with two children, but Kagome had ordered him to stay and so he did. He also didn't like that Sango had gone, but with two children to watch, he had no time to chase the woman down.

Outside in the street, Kagome asked, "Why'd you come?"

Miffed, Sango responded, "You might act like its nothing, but I haven't had a break from Ryuichi for five years. He's almost everywhere I go, and you—and for some reason Lord Kaito—are the only ones he listens to."

Kagome blinked at Sango as they turned onto the main stretch again and headed for the castle, "Lord Kaito? Isn't he one of Sesshoumaru's council?" Sango nodded. "Why would Ryuichi listen to Lord Kaito?"

"Beats me. I gather they have some sort of history together. That's why I've been so quiet lately too. I've half a mind to kill Ryuichi, but don't since the bastard got me pregnant." Kagome choked slightly on air.

Pregnant? It was that bad? "I thought you were barren? You said yourself you were no stranger to sex." Several years ago they'd had a discussion in the hot spring about Sango's desire to be Miroku's wife, only knowing she'd never produce the child he wanted so bad she pushed the monk away each time he advanced on her.

"That's what I thought, but I haven't had my period for two months now. I wasn't the one to notice; Ryuichi was. He's what is known as an Evil Eye Demon." At Kagome's confused look, she elaborated. "They're one of the First Born, those being the first type of demons created by the Gods. The first Evil Eye Demons were brother and sister, born out of the Bone Eaters Well. They're children of time, and using magic, can traverse through time itself, or slow time or speed time up."

"How did that give him a way to know you were pregnant?" Kagome inquired. "When I was pregnant, I was around a demon, but he never knew. There's nothing to smell or anything."

"I know that, except even the most powerful of demons have weaknesses. A demon like Ryuichi can lose his head over the scent of a woman's monthly cycle. Other demons aren't bothered by it, but Ryuichi's senses go on overload and it makes him a royal pain in the ass, since he gets horny."

Kagome blushed profusely. "Sango!" she yelped, and Sango laughed.

"What? It's the truth, and you asked."

Kagome thought about that for a moment as they passed the last of the street vendors in the market square. Now they would pass the buildings housing more important people of the city, and after that they'd be at the castle gate. Since Yuu was a border defense city, they couldn't exist with a simple wooden mansion; the castle was built out of stone and mortar.

"So," Kagome began, "since he's been by you so much, he noticed you haven't had your period since he's not going bonkers? I guess that makes sense."

Sango growled bitterly, "He's upset because I've been starving myself to starve the child."

Kagome stopped in the middle of the street to stare at her friend. Could things have gotten so bad? Or was it because Sango felt it a disgrace to even be friendly with a demon that she did this? Sango realized Kagome wasn't with her and turned back. "Aren't you coming?"

"You can't," Kagome said. "Starve the child, I mean. If it dies, where will you be then?"

Kagome watched as Sango pursed her lips. "Can you justify the nature of a demon slayer's half-breed child? It would be born to kill itself."

"Can you justify the nature of man's desire to kill anything?" Kagome retorted. "A man will kill, regardless of what they are. We make our choices, Sango." Yes, Kagome was very heated about this. To deny a child the chance to live simply because of one's profession was senseless. "If you don't want the child, give it to some poor family who literally can't have one. Let them love it. But to kill it, just because of your disgust over another's blood… that's uncommon cruelty. Not everyone hates demons like you, even in this era there are those that think that blood doesn't make the person."

Kagome walked around Sango and continued her way to the castle with a fury in her step.

**-Inuyasha- **

He left the well with anger building in his veins, nearly bursting out of him. He wanted to kill that girl, but damn Seirra was stopping him. The woman was hiding inside him and had been since Chieko came. He didn't mind Seirra as much now that he knew Seirra carried the heart that melted the ice around his half-brother, but he did mind her getting in the way of his kills.

Four months pregnant, Seirra needed frequent breaks from his body. Without the breaks, she could lose her concentration at keeping the unborn child in phase mode, and having it leave that mode would kill Inuyasha. Still, she could only be let out once every three days since her body could not physically separate from his without killing him. That meant he had to sneak away a lot, and in order to sneak away, he needed a reason or else he would make his monk friend suspicious. So he was grateful for the anger he had from that girl. Not that he was grateful _toward_ her, just that it was good to hate her.

He took more of the evening chores on, gathering firewood himself, catching supper himself, and also ended up being the one who found the stupid girl, Sheena was her name, Seirra so graciously provided—not that he cared—a hot spring to bath in.

"Because you stink," he ground out to the stupid girl the first night.

Sheena growled low in her throat—an impressive imitation of a dog, most definitely. She attacked him, dragging them both back into the hot spring. Both of them knew why he hated her so instantly; she had insulted his mother. She wasn't sure why she said it in the first place, but pride wouldn't allow for her to take it back very easily.

At the moment, the two were alone in the hot spring clearing. He'd led her to it so she could bathe, and Haru was keeping an eye on Miroku, as his lecherous ways had been proven earlier in the day. Even though Sheena and Inuyasha left with grumbled promises of not fighting, the promises weren't the type that lasted long on either part.

The two fought for a short while in the spring before Seirra stopped Inuyasha from drawing his sword. He huffed and turned away from Sheena, taking his hand off the hilt of his sword. No one offended his mother and got away with it. No one.

He pulled himself out of the spring and shook himself off. "You really are a damn dog!" Sheena snapped, and he was half a mind of jumping in there and strangling her to death. Her insults grated on his nerves more than insults were supposed to.

"Clean your stinky ass up, bitch," he snapped at her, eyes narrowing in her direction. Before she could retort, he took off into the trees. He might have agreed to stand guard, but if some lesser demon came and killed her in a hot spring, so much the better. Saved him the trouble.

He came across a small clearing and after a quick check to be sure no one would jump in and surprise him, Seirra came out of his body. She was dry, but fair naked. He jumped up into a tree branch and sat down, shivering.

"You're one hell of an asshole, you know that?" Seirra yelled at him. Blind or not, she knew where he was. "She didn't mean what she said, and you know it. How many people have insulted your mother before?" Seirra rubbed her arms. It was pretty cold in the winter, especially naked. At least she was dry, but he had to deal with being wet.

He sat with his eyes closed and ears twitching. "Easier to ask how many people insulted my mother and _lived_. If it weren't for you, that girl would've been dead last night when she said it."

Seirra placed a hand on her four month pregnant belly. "I'm only going to say this once. If you can't get along civil, I'll impale you."

"Keh, whatever. You ready to go back in yet?"

Seirra sighed. Her threat fell on deaf ears. Well, a deaf ear… one of his was chopped. He still looked weird with shorter hair, but at least it was past his shoulders now. He looked rather ragged without his long mane of hair. "I'm ready," she mumbled.

"Good." He jumped down. "Someone's coming." He watched her phase into his body, and as her ghostly hand disappeared, Sheena showed up. "Done, bitch?" he snapped, and watched her face flush an angry red.

"Quit calling me 'bitch' and get over it!" she yelled. "I insulted you! I said you were a 'son of a bitch'."

His fists clenched. "Implying my mother's a bitch! I'll kill you for it!"

"Ah, the sounds of a love spat," sang a cheerful voice. Inuyasha spun around to view the person responsible for interrupting his argument and near kill mood. His nose tested the air and smelled Naraku's scent. However, this one also smelled like clay, dirt, and leaves. It was a golem that Naraku was manipulating.

"Stop hiding, Naraku," Inuyasha snapped at the golem standing before them in the baboon suit. "Sending these wood golems only pisses me off." He unsheathed Tetsusaiga. But maybe Naraku would do him a favor and kill Sheena?

Naraku chuckled through the golem. "But an irrational Inuyasha is a predictable Inuyasha. It works in my favor." Only one wind scar was needed to destroy the golem, but still, Sheena had her first view of Inuyasha's power.

"Keh," Sheena grumbled, "I could do better than that. You're a wimp."

Instantly he had her by the throat and was pressing her against a tree. Sword in one hand, he contemplated how to kill her. Use the sword, or choke her? Her fist then connected with his chest and he felt power pushing at him, sending him into another tree opposite side of the clearing. He'd left scratches on her neck, but none of them dangerous.

"Dad's been teaching us since we were three." She spat. "Did that feel good?"

He groaned and put a hand to his chest. She hadn't touched flesh, but he could feel his flesh was singed. Purity—holy power. It had no affect on his clothes, instead it went through his clothes to concentrate on his flesh and what lay beneath.

"Gonna try something stupid again," she spit her dislike on the ground, "first know your opponent. I'll say what the hell I wanna say." She turned and walked off, and as soon as she was gone, Seirra began yelling at him using his voice. If he got himself killed with her inside him, she would die too.

That began their journey. It took seven whole days to heal from that, and during that time, Sheena got a cold due to chill. Miroku kept him running around Japan from village to village for herbs in hopes of battling the cold, since he was the fastest. They ended up staying holed up in some village in the south until she was well again, but that was a month. Inuyasha was sure she was milking her illness, since she knew he was eager to continue traveling.

**-Sesshoumaru- **

He would reiterate many times over; he hated Junokobi. Jaken was better. Jaken grumbled, but did all that was asked of him to do. Junokobi didn't grumble—he simply did not do. It was all because Junokobi knew somehow that Sesshoumaru wouldn't kill him.

Whoever told Junokobi that stupid idea (however true) would die if Sesshoumaru got wind of who they were. It was probably Kaito, that old ass. With Jaken, Sesshoumaru could take off to whatever corner of the world he wanted and have no trouble at all. He could go alone if he wanted as well, simply leaving Jaken to watch Rin.

He wasn't sure why he let Rin convince him to bring her along, but the winning argument had been her soft spoken statement of her fear of Chieko. His ward stated that she heard Chieko saying something about not liking Rin. Chieko believed Rin was not a ward, but a concubine.

It was a complete untruth, but with Rin afraid for her life, he allowed her to once again travel as they used to, even though quite honestly she should stay back at the castle and learn to be a proper lady. Those lessons were late as it was, but now would be even later. It would be a miracle if she ever married at all.

But at least with Junokobi along, Rin could incite conversation from the ice demon without the abuse generally awarded by the disdainful frog. Junokobi would never strike out against Rin unless she attacked Sesshoumaru, which would be never.

In her youth, Rin had been a playful, excitable young child. In her maturity, she was a proud young woman who apparently had a mischievous, darker side to her that had not quite been present in her youth. It might have been due to her mysterious coma, but Sesshoumaru did wonder.

She slept wrapped in Sesshoumaru's pelt, warmer than even Junokobi, who was an ice demon so the freezing temperature was more like a summer breeze to him. It was why Junokobi never wore heavy clothes; simply thin pants and a simple loose haori. His clothes were white, acid green, and iceberg blue, same as his house colors.

Sesshoumaru wore his customary white silk with the red sakura patterns, and the yellow and blue sash tied in an elaborate bow. He didn't have specific colors to dictate who he was and what house he belonged to like the rest of the population. He was born with the ruling mark; everyone knew him, like it or not. Some were more foolish to attack him and think they could win.

But as Rin started whittling away at Junokobi, Sesshoumaru learned more about his personal guard. His guard was stiff, polite for the sake of politics and rank. Junokobi's father died protecting Sesshoumaru's father, and his grandfather met the same fate protecting Sesshoumaru's grandfather. The ice demon's counterpart female was the ice maiden, so Junokobi knew nothing of his mother, especially being purebred as he was. The males would impregnate the females, then the females would give any male child up and keep any female child. It gave wonder to why, if the females could have children on their own, would they allow the male ice demon to know where to find their hidden island.

As the days passed and they continued their travels after a short stay at the capital, taking the route through the Forbidden Forest despite the dangers, Rin's curiosity also grew. Sesshoumaru had already forgotten about the issue entirely and had been about to brood on whether or not he should allow Chieko into his bed on his next stay home or not. He did need an heir and she was expectant of giving him one.

He already decided that his son would have a wet nurse rather than be suckled by his mother. Bad enough she'd spend nine months influencing him through the womb. And his wife would be forbidden to have any contact with his son. Custom dictated that the Queen mother not have contact with the son after he was weaned anyway. Sesshoumaru was simply taking the boy away sooner rather than later, and saving himself a hassle. Kaoi would give him a major headache that he would follow _that_ custom yet not others.

"If an ice maiden can get pregnant without a man's help, why does she let men in?" Rin asked in her innocent way. Junokobi didn't even flinch at the question. He had been expecting it since the subject was brought up. He continued walking, eyes to his surroundings and senses alert for anything that might be a danger to his King.

"There are very few ice demons but many ice maidens. Right now there are five Houses of Ice; Blue, Red, Gray, Yellow, and Black. An ice maiden is more likely to give birth to twins. They are also more likely to give birth to females." Sesshoumaru strangely had a thought. Perhaps despite the fact that Junokobi was disobedient, the ice demon was teaching Rin certain lessons of life that would have been taught by her tutor. Rin would learn this sort of thing from a tutor who would be knowledgeable but to start now would be beneficial.

Junokobi continued, "In each of the five Houses of Ice, there are three and only three generations. The grandfather, if he survives, is head of house. The father. And the son. By custom, the ice maidens have split their year into five seasons to accommodate the Houses of Ice. They send an invitation out to the House of Ice at the beginning of each season, dictating what date the men of the House will come to them. Then the House of Ice will send a return message saying how many of their House can show on the selected date. If the son is too young, the father must stay behind to take care of the son while the grandfather goes. If the son is old enough, all three will go. Awaiting them will be carefully selected women from the ice maiden's community. They have their opportunity to impregnate the ice maidens selected, and pray the best of luck."

Rin thought that over for a moment, digesting the knowledge. She then turned once more to look at Junokobi instead of their path. Junokobi caught her as she tripped over an unseen hazard and righted her without losing a step himself. Sesshoumaru watched the interaction with disinterest from behind them. Ah-Uhn hadn't entered the Forbidden Forest for reasons of his own, preferring to stay in the castle where the two-headed dragon would be provided fresh meat daily.

"But that doesn't explain why the ice maidens care." Rin blurted out. "I mean, if they can just have babies without men, why would they bother?"

Junokobi looked at Rin out of the corner of his eye, an amused quirk to his lips. "Do you really wish to know?" She nodded eagerly. He said one word that stunned her into stopping. "Sex."

"What!" she yelped, her face flaming red. Really, it wasn't like she didn't know about it. She knew the whole process, knew how babies were made, knew why she bled monthly. But still, to have it put so bluntly that they would do it for sex was an idea most foreign to her poor little virgin mind. She hurried to catch up to the ice demon. "You're lying!" she accused.

"I have no reason to lie to you, my lady," he pointed out, reasserting in her mind the fact that lying to her—as good as a noble with her ward status to Sesshoumaru—would get his tongue cut out. "Sex is pleasurable, and the ice maidens also wish to keep their daughters pureblood. If an ice maiden gives birth to a child of impure blood, the female child cannot reproduce without a male."

"What do you mean, impure blood and pureblood?" Rin demanded hotly, as if the very idea of someone being impure because of their blood offended her.

"A mixed blood, my lady. Children born of two different elements are called a mixed blood. Their blood is considered impure. This is not to say that different races cannot blend." He added as she opened her mouth to speak. She snapped it shut again. "For example, his majesty is a mixed blood demon, but his race, or animal, is purebred. His majesty's father was a dog demon with the pureblood wind element. His majesty's mother, however, was a dog demon with a poison element. This means that his majesty is a product of the two and he is a Purebred dog demon, but mixed blood poison-wind element."

Rin fell silent again, trying to consider the possibilities of that. "So, you're saying that while Lord Sesshoumaru is really a full-demon, he's not a full element? I'm confused." Sesshoumaru found it odd that Junokobi would use Sesshoumaru himself as an example, but if anyone other than Sesshoumaru knew Sesshoumaru's bloodline, it would be a member of the Blue House of Ice.

Junokobi snorted lightly as if to say, 'That isn't obvious.' "There are different types of full-demons. There is an elemental side of a demon, which incorporates how they can use and form their power. There is also the animal side of a demon, which incorporates general looks and habits that a demon will have from birth."

"Oh, okay," Rin said dubiously.

"I am not finished, my lady," Junokobi said simply in a light reprimand. She fell silent and blushed. "Now, I am simply an elemental demon, pureblood ice. My line, being pureblood, extends back to when the Gods first created demons. I do not have an animal side. His majesty has an animal side and an elemental side, as I explained. However, this is where things get complicated. If you wish to know, pay attention as I will not repeat myself."

Rin instantly nodded her head and listened with good faith of understanding it the first time. Sesshoumaru watched the two of them closely, his eyes narrowing just slightly. The body language of both of them was tenser than usual. He wondered…

"There is a Pureblood demon, which deals with the elements. Then there is the Purebred demon. Being a Pureblood or a Purebred does get mixed up a lot as not many notice the difference. To be a Pureblood-Purebred demon, one would have both the same element, and the same animal. Of course, one such as myself who has no animal side, is considered a Pureblood-Pureblood. His majesty is a Mixedblood-Purebred demon. Your lady-in-waiting is a Pureblood-Mixedbreed demon, because she has both the same elements, but not the same animals. The old goat Jaken is a Mixedblood-Mixedbreed demon, because he has neither the same element, nor the same animal."

Rin placed a hand on her head, as if absorbing the information made her dizzy. She opened her mouth to speak, but then snapped it shut again.

Junokobi lay the final blow in his speech using a thoughtful tone of voice. "And then we get into human-demon relations. Really, the possibilities are endless, there. Not only do you have what we previously discussed, but you also throw in half-breed to the tally."

Rin squeaked, "No more. I've had enough for today." She fell silent and moved back to walk by Sesshoumaru. Her body language didn't relax, but Junokobi's did visibly. Sesshoumaru realized then that Junokobi was uncomfortable with nobles, even though he technically was one, even though his status was servant.

Rin was quiet for the next two weeks, and soon a month had passed without further hazard. Undoubtedly Rin's questions would begin again fairly quickly however. Sesshoumaru could see the questions boiling beneath the surface of her skin.

**I really have no idea, _No Name._ -cry- I just want the story done. Why won't it end? Why do these stupid plots keep coming up? Why won't any of the characters do what I want them to do, when they're supposed to do it? **


	195. Chieko's Plans

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Think about how much time I have put into this story and tell me how many reviews I should start demanding on each chapter of TMttF-reaking-long-story. Because I'm going to be a damn hypocrite and demand the most reasonable amount of reviews you all tell me to demand. And if no one bothers to review and tell me how many I should demand or to give me some truly useful tid-bit about my story (which I have spent many long hours slaving over) then the amount I will demand is simply going to be 100. So tell me, how many do you think is reasonable? Because I told you all I wouldn't demand reviews anymore and then all of a sudden no one was reviewing any of my stories! Reviews (which I crave) have plummeted to rock-bottom! I post for feedback, not for the pure pleasure of writing. If I want to simply write a damn story, how many of my readers realize I would simply write it, which I do often as witnessed by anyone who knows me? _

_Thus for the above stated reason, this chapter will be short. It would have been longer...much longer...blame yourself not me._

Chapter 195:  
Chieko's plans

A sadistic little smile crossed her features as Gantou and Jinji the mind-reading twins stepped into the warm circle of light emitting from her oil lamp. Gantou was always on the left and Jinji was always on the right. It was their weakness, and yet at the same time it was one of their greatest strengths to stand like that; one it made them predictable, two they were able to perfect their skills to the left or the right. Truly one had the other's half-brain.

They could not exist alone. They could not fight against a creature they could not read the mind of. If faced with a foe of any intelligence, or enough that it could block the thought probes of a mind-reader, then the two would fall. One such foe was her, the Queen Chieko. Mind-readers stood no chance against her.

It was more accurate that nothing stood a chance against her. She was a perfected being and though Ryuichi had gotten stronger over the past thousand years since Chieko dropped him like a hot bun, she was still the superior being simply due to the fact that Ryuichi had not the ambition to fight her. He didn't get himself involved unless it was a danger to him or his family.

Perhaps it was a mistake to allow the bastard of Yuu to kill Hakushiimaru, but that was of no consequence now. It was over and done with and the useless brat was dead. Chieko felt the twins attempting to probe her mind and gave them a warm teasing shock of power to their brains for it.

"Now, my precious beauties," Chieko giggled, "would you go against mommy? Mommy doesn't like her widdle bitty brain being toyed with, you know that…"

Jinji scowled at the condescending tone. "You no mommy!" he said.

Gantou was the well-versed version of the two. He had a vocabulary, while Jinji was almost like a five year old child. "Shut up, broad." Gantou held out the scroll to her. "You're lucky you're alive. Master could have left you dead when the Eastern King discarded you for your trickery."

"Aw," Chieko pouted. "You're no fun, Gantou," she glanced at Jinji. "He's no fun, is he, Jinji?"

Jinji looked uncertain for a moment before Gantou elbowed him. Then Jinji said, "Gantou brother! You not know Gantou! Gantou give Jinji fun, fun, fun!"

Chieko slid across the distance to Gantou, long fingers wrapping around the scroll and brushing Gantou's hand. Blackness spread from where she had touched him, encompassing his entire hand. "Then… I shall have my fun with Gantou and see if he can be truly amusing."

Gantou glanced at his hand before it began to bloat and split open. Tiny worm-like creatures crawled out of the bloody splits and within seconds he was shaking his hand violently to get them off.

"Gantou!" Jinji cried but the instant he touched Gantou's hand in an attempt to whack the bugs off, blackness spread to him like a poison. Gantou took a chance an stabbed into his hand with a finger, pouring poisonous miasma into his blood stream. It killed the bugs and he did the same for his brother, injecting poisonous miasma directly into Jinji's blood.

The twins glared at the mirthful queen before disappearing. Gantou wanted nothing to do with her. He wanted to kill her, but he knew he wasn't strong enough and that his master needed her still, just for a while.

Chieko turned away from where the dead bugs lay on the ground. She spared a glance to the corner of the room where her pet phantom triplets were; Kisho, Kozue, and Akio. Kozue was the one missing half his lower jaw due to a battle at one point. Her fault, but she hardly felt guilty.

They were _expendable._

"Clean that mess up," she told them as she opened the correspondence scroll sealed with Naraku's mark. The three did not move, surprising her. They were usually quick to respond. The spell she had cast on them made them that way; easily controlled.

"I said, clean the mess up." She said again. Again they did not move to comply but instead this time they seemed to curl further into each other. A look of mirth crossed her features. It was obvious they were beginning to learn how to fight her controlling spell. And they were such good mindless drones too…

She walked over to them, placing a finger on each of their foreheads in turn and strengthening the spell that bound them to servitude. "Clean that up, and when you are done, find Seirra… and kill her, as punishment for fighting me." On the inside of their minds, she knew they were screaming for their bodies to disobey. They knew exactly what they did, but they could not control it.

It was so fun to manipulate them!

Their bodies moved to comply and in minutes the dead bugs were gone and the phantoms raced to comply. Their connection to their sister would always lead them to her no matter where she hid or who she hid inside. Chieko knew Sesshoumaru's lover was still alive. There was no way she couldn't be.

Chieko hated Seirra with a passion. Those who knew Seirra loved her, and she was ungodly intelligent for a commoner. Her beauty surpassed many, and being blind was not a hindrance for the phantom either. She had no weakness other than her soft heart for Sesshoumaru; she would die for him.

Chieko claimed no such weaknesses. She would die for no one. She existed for herself. And soon, very soon, the world would be in the palm of her hands. Naraku was a pawn in Chieko's game, but for now she would wait until it was her turn to play. She needed Sesshoumaru's heir first. It would take a few hundred years for the child to reach maturity, but she was sure in the end it would pay off. She would tailor the boy to her. He would love and adore her.

And when she had him just how she wanted him to be she would use him to capture Sephira, that elusive creature who had the power to control the Shikon no Tama and allow a demon to wish upon it. Without Sephira, Chieko would need to sacrifice the Guardian of the jewel and spill the blood of the Guardian's heart on it.

That would not ordinarily be a problem, if it weren't for that stupid brat Rin! She was a Secret-Keeper, one of the Ancients, and a direct descendant of Rinay the Spectrum Eyes. Rin formulated a prophecy that if Chieko ever met the Guardian of the jewel in battle, it would be Chieko who fell. Anyone old enough to know of the Spectrum Eyes knew that their prophecies always came true. It was enough to make Chieko leery of the young human girl who could break so easily.

So Chieko would use Naraku to kill the Guardian. She would allow him to attempt to make his paltry wish, because she knew Sesshoumaru would slay the farce no matter what. Then she would capture Sephira and with Sephira she would be able to use the jewel to make her own wish… Revenge would be sweet indeed.

**How many reviews should I start demanding for this ungodly long fanfiction? I am a hypocrite and if you don't know what I'm talking about you damn well better go up and read my "disclaimer".**

Thank you to those very few people who reviewed. If I decide to stop posting entirely, you 6 will get each new chapter because I love you to a lesser extent of a stalker.


	196. A Feeling of Forboding

**Title: Tie Me to the Future  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Well, I got a considerable amount of feedback, and almost everyone who did review chapter 195 gave me a wonderful review and even found something in the last 195 chapters to hate! Most of you chose to hate Chieko, although I don't think she's so bad... yet. Now, since you were all so nice to review and do so in such a lengthy, talking-about-my-story manner, I have decided to go ahead and give you chapter 196. Please think sparingly of axe-murdering me, as you would never know if this story gets a happy ending if you kill the author-creature. Once Naraku (that slippery bastard) is dead, I expect 50 chapters to close the last two plots. Thanks for reading, and reviewing, and urging me to continue updating. I might even do that updating thing again, my pretty stalker-people! Now go read my story, "Sesshoumaru really is a" or I, the hunted, shall become the hunter, and you the hunter, shall become the hunted! (Oh yeah, self-advertising... well, I stopped doing the disclaimer so something has to go here, right?)_

Chapter 196:  
A Feeling of Forboding

Darkness had settled on the Feudal Era once more as the sun set, leaving the bright spring moon to caress the evening gloom until it was soothed. Kagome stopped walking just before she reached Lord Oshmage's main castle gate, her hand going to push back her growing bangs so she could look with ease at the white orb in the sky.

It was amazing to view that night. A beautiful moon bow acted like a halo around it, enticing all of mankind to put down their work and just gaze. She had to refrain from twirling in little circles. For one, she was a patchy, muddy mess and it would just unnerve the locals. She wanted to get her sword back, not get thrown into a dungeon for disrupting the community.

"Kagome?" Sango inquired softly, taking Kagome's hand in hers. It was strange… neither Ryuichi nor Sango had ever asked questions, really. No one did. She almost killed Kaoi, and no one said a word about it. Surely it must have been strange to see her after five years and suddenly she was about to kill a prominent figure on the council?

True, Kagome was still upset at Sango for her declaration to kill her unborn child, but what could she do about it? She couldn't force Sango to be mentally prepared for the child. And her opinions couldn't be forced on her friend either. She hadn't actually gone about talking about it right either.

Kagome felt a smile cross her face and she looked at Sango, hoping to comfort the unease she could sense brewing beneath Sango's flesh. "I'm fine…" she promised before glancing once more at a moon she had stared at long in the future with someone who loved her. She wondered where he was at that time. She hadn't felt his presence for a while now; almost as if Hiei had simply disappeared.

What would happen after Hiei fulfilled his fate? What would happen after he killed his father? She wanted him to stay in the past with her, but at the same time she wanted him to take Akari and go home so when the final battle with Naraku came, he wasn't there to see it.

She was right in her letter to herself. She would have her happy-ever-after, eventually. Someday, when the world was right, she would have a happy ending. That brought the smile to her face and she knew she could face her future… the future she had seen in Miroku's past when she kissed him.

"Sango," Kagome breathed, and Sango stepped closer, completely trusting Kagome. How had it gotten to be that way? How did they all trust her? They didn't know her…not really. Very few seemed to honestly know her. Perhaps it was better that way. Because if the world knew she would give it all up for a cute little girl in blue, who knew what it would do…

"Yes, Kagome?" Sango asked.

Kagome sighed happily and turned toward the gate. "Someday I'll be with him," Kagome told Sango.

Sango looked slightly confused. "Who?" She remembered the strange man who had shown himself very little… the tiny Ambassador's guard. The subtle hints that the man was Akari Dekage's father… the blatantly obvious fact that Kagome was her mother… "Oh," Sango didn't need more.

Kagome nodded and hugged her shoulders. "I love him. I wish I had realized sooner… I spent all that time with him without really knowing… It's almost humorous, Sango… you know?" Sango really didn't. "I mean, I had almost instant crushes on many others… but it took years for me to realize what the most important man in my life meant to me…"

Sango was at a loss for words. She'd never felt that way for anyone. Was that how true love was found? Over years?

Kagome continued, "Sango, if I told you the final battle with Naraku is coming… what would you say?"

Sango was relieved at a question she could finally answer. "I'd say it's not coming fast enough."

Kagome nodded. She had the answer she needed. It would be over soon, and Kagome could continue toward her happily ever after. She took a step forward; a step away from insecurity and closer toward surety. Nothing could stop the chain of events now. Kagome herself had written them in proverbial stone.

She walked up to the guards by the gate. "My name is Kagome and I would like to speak with Oshmage." The guard was startled quite obviously to hear someone speak without a respective title for Oshmage. Kagome put a hand on her hip, almost like when she scolded Akari, and said, "If you don't open the door to let me in, then open the door and bring him out. Either way, he'll be delighted to see me." She plastered a joyous smile on her face.

"Who are you?" the guard asked suspiciously, and Kagome opened her mouth to speak again. She didn't get to say what she had been about to. A new and yet incredibly familiar voice spoke, sending a swirl of joy through Kagome to know he had come back to her.

"She's with me," Hiei said as he walked up to the gate. His scowl was directed at the guard, almost as if he were personally offended. "Open the gate or die." Kagome had to bite back a laugh at Hiei's particular lack in social communication. She hoped he wouldn't raise Akari like that.

"Master Hiei!" the guard gulped, and Kagome had to wonder just how long ago Hiei had made his entrance to this particular castle. He may have realized it was where Kagome was going, which was almost humorous to her that he would go ahead of her. "Right away, Master Hiei!" the guard bellowed out to the top of the wall and within seconds a loud groaning noise was heard as the wall was pulled open.

Kagome glanced at Hiei and heard him whispering in her mind, _I got bored so I came to see what your 'pretty blade' looked like._

"You cheat," she told him and he shrugged.

"I never got where I was through honesty and integrity."

Sango eyed the demon who Kagome claimed to love and again the strange familiarity to the little boy she was raising made itself known. She knew it was possible. She'd watched Hiei jump out of the well with Akari Dekage and knew they were from Kagome's world.

"Well, don't you go teaching Akari any of that," she poked his chest with a finger while glaring up at him through her lashes. Still, her heart burst with joy at the idea that he loved her. She couldn't wait for a moment when he would once more hold her in his arms and tell her he was hers. Although he may have stated he was no white night, it still made her feel very safe when he held her…

He grabbed her wrist gently and said, "Keep poking me and you'll have trouble. Now, amuse me… I'm bored."

"You annoy me sometimes, you know that?" She asked him with a blush on her face. She knew he didn't _mean_ that to be perverted, but her mind somehow supplied her with all sorts of quirks she could 'amuse' him with. Perhaps she'd spent one-to-many-nights camping with Miroku back in her youth… it felt like a hundred years ago.

"But I have you for such a short time," he said, shrugging and reminding her of her humanity and unfortunate expiration date. Someday he would be alone with Akari and he would have to raise Akari alone. But she could be happy in the fact that at least she knew he wouldn't _not_ take care of Akari. "I'm going to annoy you as much as possible until the very end."

"How romantic," Kagome couldn't help but let it come out in a sarcastic drawl. She turned on her heel and was going to march through the now-open gate when she heard Sango's giggle. She sighed in resignation before entering. Now to get her sword back.

**-KOUGA- **

Ginta and Hakkaku were too slow. Kouga growled in frustration. Sure, they were his friends, but at a time when he desired speed most, he didn't get it with them following at each step. Still, he knew he needed them for where he was going. Quite frankly, without them he would have been in the Eastern Lands and the castle of his ally Poziran at least two weeks ago.

But finally they had crested the last hill that overlooked Poziran's castle. As Kouga had guessed, the East really was in a mad state. Kouga's clan was mad because he had only taken Ginta and Hakkaku along on his journey to see Poziran. They insisted that the East was too unstable for Kouga to go alone with just them.

But Kouga had known Poziran since he was just a young cub. Poziran had been the one to create the stable alliance between the Northern wolf clans and the East. Poziran remained neutral in anything he could, unless absolutely forced to choose a side. Poziran was a good man and had helped Kouga and the Northern clans greatly after Kagura had decimated over a hundred pack members.

If Kagura weren't dead already, Kouga would greatly give up all he ever held dear just to kill the woman again and again for all eternity. It certainly did nothing for Naraku's safety knowing that it had been Naraku's orders that made Kagura do the wicked deed in the first place.

But that wasn't why Kouga was in the Eastern Lands in the first place. He tramped through snow and when the snow melted he sloshed through mud all to get to Poziran for a specific reason. He couldn't turn tail now. Not when he was so close to some answers; answers that Poziran almost always had.

Kouga's feet splashed more mud onto his already caked form as he approached the castle gate, and he skid to a halt in front of the surprised guards. "Who are you?" asked the first guard.

The second guard asked, "What's your business in Colomura?"

Kouga yelled loudly, too frustrated to bother with things like manners. "Open the gates ya dumb jackalopes!" They eyed him warily but did not move a muscle to comply. Kouga decided he hated them.

Ginta huffed as he approached. "This is Kouga, clan leader of the Northern clans. Poziran should'a got a messenger already explaining that we were coming."

The guards glanced at each other. "No northerner is allowed in here. We're neutral; we don't need your kind here."

Hakkaku added, "From the Northern Lands, not the wolf clans in the north of the East. Kouga is the existing ruler of the Northern Lands."

Kouga wanted to stomp his feet in a tirade. "Open the gate or I'm gonna smash my fist through it," Kouga demanded. The guards seemed to decide not to at that time. But Kouga did not come all this way for nothing. His fangs showed with his scowl.

"Kouga," Ginta started, but Kouga's aura was already swirling up around him. Within seconds, his aura was forming a tornado of melted snow and mud. Ginta and Hakkaku groaned as they were splattered with more mud than they already wore. Their ruler was hot-headed man, and sometimes standing beside him wasn't the best idea (considering it got them covered in muck).

"Kuga!" the tornado plashed to the ground when a side gate opened to reveal a tiny young wolf demon. Kouga grinned at his favorite cousin. "Kuga!" the child, about the equivalent of a pre-teen human, hadn't grown much since Kouga's last visit. He raced forward, his orange and green kimono becoming streaked with brown at the hem and all down his front as he hugged the muddy demon lord.

"Renge!" Kouga's mood improved greatly to see the boy. Renge was Poziran's youngest son to Poziran's third mate but nowhere near Poziran's last child. Poziran had seven sons and four mates. "Your ma'll beat me on the head when she sees you," Kouga told the boy. "Quit huggin' me, ya getting all dirty."

Renge looked at the front gate guards and said, "Kuga's okay to come inside. Papa only wants Eastern wolves to stay out, 'kay?" He didn't wait for a response, but grabbed Kouga's arm and began dragging him inside. "Just you wait, mama'll be on you like a rabid dog and you can take me to the North, like you promised!"

Kouga hadn't thought Renge would remember that promise. It was one reason Kouga had waited so long before coming back. The alliance between the East and the North rode on a seal of marriage. It had been at least fifty years ago; the East and the North (at least Poziran and Kouga's clans) acted as though the marriage had already happened. Kouga had to choose his bride from ten women Poziran had selected.

At the time, Poziran had been particularly mischievous. He'd put one of his mates in the group. Teni had been ordered to remain silent, but she was so angry at Poziran that it showed in her eyes. Kouga hadn't met Poziran's mates; they were generally kept away from male visitors in the east whereas in the north, Kouga and his clan had no problem showing their mates off (especially the pregnant ones). It was a show of how different Kouga was from his eastern cousins.

Kouga was attracted to women with fire. He was considered to be among the oddest rulers the north had ever had because of his idealistic view that woman should not remain silent all the time. If he wanted a woman's view on something, he didn't want to have to wait until they were in private quarters, and he definitely would not punish a woman for saying something he didn't like especially if it was a subject he wanted her input on.

"Uh, I don't think the northern clans are ready for you, Renge," Kouga stumbled to say, glancing back at Ginta and Hakkaku for help. He found his old friends were smirking at him, almost as if thinking it was payback for pacing them so hard on the way to Poziran's.

"That's what you think!" Renge chirped. "See, I've been practicing hard, Kuga!" He kept dragging Kouga toward the inner keep to where Poziran would undoubtedly be. After Kouga had chosen Teni, Poziran had burst into gales of laughter and explained to Kouga why he was so humored even as he attempted to stop Teni's furious attacks. Teni had provided two children to Poziran, but at that moment Poziran said Renge and his older brother Yahara were to be taught as the northern clans taught their young cubs.

Certainly Kouga had provided Poziran with a trainer and a tutor, but Kouga hadn't really wanted his first mate to be one made of marriage treaties.

"Hyh!" a yowled war cry came from above Kouga and a small body knocked Kouga off balance. Yahara had jumped from who-knew-where and landed on Kouga. "Take that, Kuga!"

"I'm gonna kill ya both!" Kouga growled, but the ten and eleven year old brothers were now double-teaming Kouga. Passing servants and soldiers looked at the odd sight Kouga made. He grit his teeth before bursting to his feet and swiftly turning on the two. His fist came down on each of their heads and they yelped and nursed lumps.

"Owie," Renge pouted. Yahara glared at Kouga, wincing as he touched the sore spot, but he didn't give in to complaining.

"I came here 'cause I need ta talk to Old Poz, so take me to him!" he yelled at the boys.

More laughter interrupted Kouga's yelling. "Kuga!" Poziran stepped forward from the keep and again he laughed. "My cousin, what have you been up to? I heard you led a successful charge in the war five years ago." Kouga turned to Poziran, but not before casting the boys an annoyed look. Poziran looked at Renge and Yahara. "Go get Teni and tell the servants to gather the three of you together. You'll have to leave with Kuga."

"What's going on?" Kouga asked Poziran. "I thought you said when I was ready for her, I could take her up north. I'm not ready!" He bit back his brewing panic. The boys raced off, grinning widely.

Poziran laughed again. "I talked to your messenger; you've been ready for her for decades now, at least you've had a place prepared for her anyway. If it's a mental problem you got, Kuga…"

Kouga growled. "I ain't got no mental problem."

"Physical then?" Poziran was beaming wickedly.

"Ya gonna have one soon." Kouga warned, cracking his knuckles. He looked at Ginta and Hakkaku in resignation however. "Go help them. Make sure they pack light, 'cause we ain't gonna bother with the roads. We go back th' way we came." His friends groaned noisily as they trod off.

Poziran said, "Things are heavy in the East. I'm trying to remain neutral, but soon I'll have to take a side. Renge and Yahara are old enough to have to fight, and only pregnant women, and the elderly don't have to fight." He frowned seriously. "And Teni is starting to clash against my other mates and their sons. Teni doesn't like the arrangement any more than you do, Kuga."

"Fine," Kouga sighed heavily. He approached Poziran and the two began to make their way into the keep. Kouga was trailing mud, but it was hardly noticeable as the floor was caked in it. "I did come for a reason, though."

"Yes, I know." Poziran nodded. "Your messenger said you have some questions. Wait to ask until we are in my study." Kouga agreed to the terms and once there, Kouga didn't bother sitting. He paced and Poziran watched.

"Okay, some stuff I can't understand about, I need answers on. You're the only one I know who might be able to answer." Kouga looked at Poziran and the old man nodded that he would answer. "Have you heard of Kagome of the Jewel? Or Chosen Ones? Or Ancients? Or Spectrum Eyes? Or anything like that?"

Poziran chuckled. "Now where's this all coming from?" He knew of those things, but it was a surprise that Kouga of all people would be the first in centuries to ask about those things.

"It's going around everywhere! Rin, the Western King's ward, apparently made Queen Chieko angry by warning Queen Chieko not to go against Kagome or she would fall. Chieko then started talking about Ancients and Spectrum Eyes, and Kagome said she was a Chosen One so she could save her daughter." Kouga took in a deep breath, trying to calm the confusion bubbling inside him. Poziran had the answers. He had to have the answers.

"Well," Poziran scratched his head. "The story started a very long time ago when Inutaishou's father was still king… A human girl named Rinay appeared on the Western King's throne one morning but no one in the castle knew who she was or how she got there. She was just a newborn babe and so the king gave her to a nursemaid to take care of."

"What does this have to do with anything I asked?" Kouga asked impatiently.

Poziran said, "Rinay was the first of the Spectrum Eyes, and believed to be one of the Ancients."

"What are the Ancients?" Kouga asked. He flumped to the floor, so confused he wasn't sure getting answers to the questions was helping at all. He just had a million more questions that needed answers.

"The Ancients are children of prophecy. They can be demon, half-breed, or human it doesn't really matter, but their prophecies always come true. Calm down, Kuga. I'll give you answers to your questions." Poziran knew it would be a long night already.

"Okay, okay," Kouga sighed. "I'm calm." He was on edge. "So, Rinay?"

"A Spectrum Eyes has the ability to steal secrets; it's a form of magic for them, but not only that, they can mold that magic to do almost anything. The power cannot be refined. It gets stronger the more secrets the wielder knows, and the more secrets they learn the more their eyes will shift colors from one to another in less time than it takes to blink."

Poziran paused to make sure Kouga was understanding him. Kouga remembered how Kagome's eyes had been shifting when they saw her five years ago after thinking she was dead, and then they stilled on an angry crimson. "Do their eyes stop on one color ever?"

Poziran nodded. "If they feel an enormous amount of a certain emotion, their eyes will reflect that." So that crimson was fury? "Rinay grew up working in the laundry of the castle. She was loved by all those she met and feared nothing except bugs."

"Bugs?" Kouga thought that sounded like Kagome. She had a heart attack if she saw a bug.

Again Poziran nodded the affirmative. "When Inutaishou was born, the king asked Rinay to bless their child. You see, the queen at that time had a dream that Rinay would bless their first son. When Rinay's prophecy was not to the king and queen's liking, they banished Rinay from their kingdom. She came to the east and on her journey was raped, beaten, and nearly killed."

"That's kind of harsh," Kouga winced, "to banish someone for doing what they were asked to do…"

Poziran shrugged. "That's why I'm neutral, cousin. I do not involve myself in the wars so nothing I do is held accountable. Rinay traveled the eastern lands and her heart hardened to the world. She had once been naïve and selfless doing whatever she could to help others. She might have remained that way if the west hadn't cast her out."

Kouga thought about Kagome and how she had always done whatever she could to help out whoever was in need whether friend or foe. And now? She said she would betray her king if she thought what she had to do would put her daughter in danger. What had happened to Kagome to make her that way?

"Rinay stopped in a village just due south of here called Kettni, and the village headman took her in. She was probably twenty years old, and the headman was in his forties or fifties. The headman took her as his wife and as the years passed, the village began to whisper of how Rinay never aged. When the headman died, the villagers tried to stone Rinay to death but instead the entire village was demolished. Rinay killed them all in a mad fit of rage." Poziran hoped he was providing adequate answers to Kouga's questions, but the subject was a hard one to explain.

"What happened then?" Kouga asked.

"She had tea," was the reply. Kouga blinked at Poziran in complete confusion. Poziran elaborated. "Rinay sat down to a cup of tea. When a passing priestess came across the village, Rinay lied about killing the villagers and said it was bandits. The priestess took pity on Rinay and took her in. They buried the villagers and Rinay traveled with the priestess for three years before a demon took the life of the priestess. Rinay completely lost it after that. She spent the next three hundred years," Kouga's expression turned to shock, "killing anyone she came across."

"Three hundred?" Kouga stammered. "But humans can't live that long!"

"Normal humans can't. A Spectrum Eyes can live for a thousand years or until they're killed." Poziran had been confused by that too when he first heard it. He didn't believe a human could live that long. "Lord Kaito, the very first Evil Eye demon ever to be born built a cross out of the wood of the Tree of Time and used that to crucify Rinay and stop her. But she already had a child; a son who had grown up as deranged as his mother."

Kouga frowned. It didn't seem like Kagome could be a descendant of Rinay then, if the child was deranged. Kagome was the embodiment of purity. Or, what if she wasn't? The tiny seed of doubt was planted the moment she said she would betray instantly if something would harm her daughter.

"Rinay's son raped a priestess, leaving her with child before the priestess killed him. The priestess brought the child up and shortly after the child's fifth birthday, the crucified Rinay appeared before the priestess and said, 'Pui is my Chosen One. She will do as I say to keep the balance of time.' Pui had the power of both the priestess and the Spectrum Eyes." Once more, Kouga looked confused. Poziran tried explaining. "Somehow Rinay's sanity returned when the crucifix bound her and she could see the past, present, and future."

"Okay, so that explains most of what I asked… but what about Kagome of the Jewel. I keep hearing more and more about her all over the place. It's confusing because I know someone named Kagome." Before two years ago, Kouga had never heard anyone refer to his Kagome by that, and suddenly—without her even being around for so long—everyone knew about Kagome of the Jewel. It was time for answers. He was mostly getting them.

Poziran gauged Kouga for a long, speculating moment before responding. Finally he said, "Kagome of the Jewel was Rinay's last prophecy."

"What?" Kouga had to blink several times.

"When Lord Kaito nailed Rinay to the cross, she died. But before she could die, she told Kaito, 'Kagome of the Jewel will complete my task. I want the world destroyed! She will do it for me! The world as you know it will end!'"

Again, Kouga had to do a double take of what he just heard. "She died? But I thought she appeared before the priestess!"

"She did," Poziran nodded. "But she was dead. Her sanity returned only after she died. While she was alive, she wanted the world to end."

Kouga frowned. It put a lot in perspective. Most of it he didn't really want to know. He wished he hadn't asked. Some of it was good information to learn. He could tell the others of it outside of Kagome's hearing of course, and see what they think. It was hard, knowing that he knew a 'Kagome of the Jewel'. The Shikon no Tama was Kagome's. And if Kagome was the same one as the prophecy… what did that mean for the world?

Should they protect her? Or… what?

Poziran said, "There is a lot of other speculation, however. Some people, like myself, believe that the prophecy will never happen since Rinay only wanted the world destroyed. She didn't say it because it had to be said. She said it because that was her desire. Prophecies are tricky that way."

Kouga sighed and scratched his ear. "It's all confusing."

Poziran agreed with that. "Hey, it's getting late. Have you eaten yet?" Kouga shook his head. "Well, head for the baths and wash up. I'll have the cooks prepare some late supper before we turn in. I've got an important guest tomorrow too, so I'll have a servant bring you presentable clothes for the morning."

Kouga sent a glare at Poziran as he stood up. "Why is it every time I come, you have some reason or another to get me to dress up?"

Poziran gave Kouga a completely innocent look and raised his hands in arrest. "I? Would I plan your extremely random visits? Why is it you constantly come when I have something going on?"

Kouga slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Ginta and Hakkaku haven't eaten either. Can ya send a servant with some grub?" Poziran nodded that he would and Kouga made his way to the bathhouse, both of them unaware that the next morning would be more interesting than they would ever have thought.

**-KAGOME- **

Kagome's fury built as she walked further into the ornate interior of Lord Oshmage's castle. Knowing as she did that everything was purchased using the tears of a child, her blood was boiling. Beside her was Hiei with his fingers twined through hers. He was guiding her and Sango through the elaborate maze of paper walls.

Kagome almost wanted to just walk through the walls. Or better still, burn them all down. She wanted Lord Oshmage to suffer. She took solace in the fact that he wouldn't be able to keep the little girl Yukina forever.

Hiei stopped at a door and slid it open; Kagome recognized it as the same one the little girl had been in the night Kagome came for her. The three of them entered the darkened room and as the door shut, an oil lamp lit with no need for help from any of them.

Kagome's eyes searched the room. The little girl was curled up on a bed so surrounded by perfect pearls that it was a wonder she could move. She was sobbing and her tears formed the beads around her. Kagome released Hiei's hand and picked her way across the room.

The blue haired girl finally noticed she had company and looked up, but still those marbles slid down her face. "Lady, you came!" she gasped, throwing herself at Kagome. Kagome caught her and held her close, rubbing a soothing hand on her back. "I was hoping you would!"

Kagome held the clingy girl tight, turning to meet Hiei's eyes with her own spectrum orbs. She saw a firm resolve in Hiei's eyes and knew there was more to Hiei moving ahead than just seeing Kagome's sword. He needed to find out if the past he remembered and the one that actually happened was real.

His answer lay in falsehood. What happened and what he remembered were two entirely different things. His mother didn't give him up willingly, and his father was a prick. Something happened to change his memories, and that was why even though his younger self had met Kagome, he hadn't remembered her.

"It's okay to stop crying," Kagome promised the girl, looking away from the hatred in Hiei's eyes. "You don't have to cry."

Sango asked, "Who is she?" She was ill-at-ease standing in the child's room. It was great that a child could cry tears of pearls and all, but not her best idea of a safety precaution. They already had two children, and if they pick up another…

"Lord Oshmage has been using her tears to fund a secret rebellion against Sesshoumaru," Kagome responded. "Junokobi will be able to take her to where she will be safe, I think. But Oshmage and I have a score to settle yet," Kagome peeled the clingy girl away from her. The girl got down, but still clung to Kagome's hand.

"That's what Junokobi's been harping on." Sango said. "No one has been listening to him and says he has a grudge against Oshmage which is why they dismiss his claims." Sango was confused about Hiei to begin with, and now seeing the fire in his eyes he wondered what connection she was missing about the scene.

"Well, I'm going to," Kagome began but Hiei shook his head.

"You'll do nothing." He told her. "You'll take her and go."

Kagome stared openly at Hiei. Who was he to order her about? She would not leave without her sword, and she would not leave without having a word or two with Oshmage. But the hard fury that was simmering in his crimson eyes begged her not to argue, just this once. At the same time, his eyes also begged her to stop him from what he would do next. He wasn't going to have a 'chat' with Oshmage anytime soon.

He was going to kill Oshmage. But he didn't know that was his real reason for traveling through the well. It would bother him endlessly. He didn't know how things would turn out, because his memories were all false.

Kagome gave him a reassuring smile. She stepped close to him, the little girl still attached to her hand, and placed her free hand on his chest. Looking up at him, she said nothing even though she knew what he planned. She did not say the words he wanted to hear. Then without warning, she turned away from him and left with Sango trailing after her and the girl keeping up easily.

"Kagome, what was that all about?" Sango asked when they had gotten down the hall. Kagome knew Hiei had already gone to do what he wanted to be stopped from doing. Kagome left the way they had come and yet no one stopped her despite she was taking their money source away.

Once they had reached the city, Kagome felt it safe to talk. "Hiei is going to kill Oshmage. It's why he is here in the first place." Sango said no more and they returned to Xiu Mei's shop where Kagome waited with bated breath as the minutes ticked by. Akari was delighted for another person to play with, but Yukina and the boy Hiei were too nervous toward each other to do any sort of playing.

Sango quietly explained that the reason was because Hiei was part fire apparition and Yukina was an ice maiden so their elements made them hesitate. Kagome was sure that when Hiei was done, he would return to her. He knew how to find her if he wanted her.

But that didn't happen. After an hour went by, Kagome almost feared the worst. Ten minutes later, Akari stopped playing to favor looking at her arms. Kagome gasped as she watched her daughter turn to dust right before her very eyes.

"Akari!" she panicked, but then Akari was simply gone.

"It's just like what happened when you turned to dust that time," Sango whispered.

Ryuichi soothed Kagome's fears. "The girl has returned to your world, my Lady." But that still didn't make Kagome feel any better. She thought she would at least have Akari and Hiei a little longer.

She jumped as the front door opened suddenly. Hiei entered, a sword sheath held in his hands. Kagome stared at him. His clothes were a little singed, but other than that he was perfectly fine by all outward appearances. He crossed the room, regardless of the fact that Ryuichi and Sango were present, and hauled her to her feet, kissing her with such a dangerous passion she worried something was wrong.

On the outer edge of her mind, she heard voices saying something about paying a late visit to the city bathhouse and then she was alone with Hiei. She didn't care about all the trivial things at that moment. Saving the world from Naraku was at the back of her mind.

Hiei made her legs feel as weak as cooked noodles but he held her upright. He pulled away from her enough that they could breathe properly again and she saw his crimson eyes were lonely for some reason. "I brought you something," he said and backed away enough that he could attach her sword to her hip. Now she had two. Like Sesshoumaru.

"What was that for?" she asked him, feeling awkward enough to need to ask.

He looked at her for a long moment before a genuine smile crossed his face. "It'll be a while before I see you again. I didn't want to wait that long." His words sunk in immediately and all her happiness at seeing him faded. She knew someone would be watching the well in her time in case for some reason Akari showed up.

"Why?" she demanded, not realizing her fingers twisted in his shirt. That time he didn't respond with words. He kissed her instead and made the world right only momentarily before the sensation disappeared with him. When she opened her eyes, she had fallen to her knees and was crying freely; he was no where to be seen.

How had he known? Why couldn't fate be kind for once and give her what she wanted? But no, she knew already that in only a few months time she would meet Naraku on the battle field and she would be faced against Miroku. Miroku's spiritual staff would break in half and Kagome would be impaled on it. Her blood would spill on the whole Shikon no Tama and Miroku would make a wish that would forever imprison himself.

And she had no choice but to continue forward even if she did know what happened and could avoid it. Without Miroku's wish, the world would not be balanced and that would make an anomaly in time.

Tears pooled on the floor and that was when she found she needed to throw up. She half crawled, half ran to the door outside and threw up out there until there was nothing left and when there was nothing left, she dry heaved. How funny, her 'future' self writing a letter promising something she could never have. A 'happy-ever-after' huh? How was she supposed to heal being impaled through the heart? Why did she have to know what Miroku had lived? Was happiness so far away from her? Five hundred years away…

**-SHIPPOU, NEXT MORNING- **

Shippou sat in sheer boredom on the back of the large phoenix. The bird was surrounded in a halo of flames and due to the fact that Youko was not a fire fox, Shippou was forced to travel on his 'noble steed' alone. The bird was easily ten meters long and his wing span far greater than that.

Sure, it was an interesting way to travel on the back of a giant fire bird, but only for the first five minutes. Once the bird steadied in the air, it would glide straight toward its destination and that was it. Shippou yawned as boredom reached almost deadly peaks. Youko was already ahead of Shippou on the way to their destination. He had left sooner than Shippou since he couldn't ride the phoenix or he would be just slightly charred meat.

And really, who wanted that? Shippou chuckled at the thought of his personal guard becoming extra crispy like Kagome's terrible cooking. Shippou did wonder where his little ambassador was. She had done a beautiful job with the treaty with the Western Lands. The outcome could not have been any better. A marriage seal, and soon Shippou would have his love.

Rin. As Shippou watched the sky above from his laid back position on the phoenix, her cheery, toothless grin came to his mind. Of course, she would have grown and matured considerably since he'd last seen the girl, but that didn't matter. She held his heart in her hands.

From what Shippou had heard, Rin had been in a strange sleep for a long time, but had awakened finally. When Sesshoumaru deemed Rin to be ready for it, she would be awarded an escort straight to the Eastern castle where she would find Shippou waiting with a broad grin on his face.

Of course, she wouldn't know that it was him! That was part of the reason why Shippou just couldn't wait to see her as well, knowing that she would just be so startled. He wanted to watch her expression when she found out he had become the Eastern king. It would be priceless.

More thoughts flittered through his increasingly bored mind. Akari Dekage and her personal guard had been mysterious from the start. Akari looked just like Kagome for the most part, and Hiei had simply showed up and said he would be taking care of Akari one day. Since he was pretty much the only adult Akari would approach at first and she seemed to recognize him, Shippou had no choice but to allow it.

And then he learned that not only would Akari not speak, but she appeared not to have the _ability_ to do so. She could read and write, and knew a strange sign language that Hiei understood, so allowing Hiei to stick around turned out to be a great idea.

Akari was a great negotiator. Somehow for someone so young, she had the ability to convince people to agree to things they would never have. Akari had brought many neutral cities and nobles of the Eastern Lands under Shippou's banner and into loyalty for Shippou. She did not leave a place without a blood vow of loyalty.

But where was she? Her convoy came back without her and Hiei, but did return with the treaty with the Western Lands. It was almost as if she were never there to start. Once more Shippou remembered Kagome's death. Kikyou and Kagome killed each other. But what were the rumors of a rogue woman in the west? The Bandit Killer?

Someday, Shippou vowed he would see Kagome again. Someday. He just would not believe she was dead. No way.

The phoenix let out a loud shriek, informing Shippou they had arrived. Shippou sat up and stretched languorously before the phoenix swooped down. He fell from the bird in a timed fall, landing hard enough that his feet indented the ground, crouching in the center of the courtyard.

Shippou stood up, unable to help the yawn that made its way not just across his face but it felt like his whole body was yawning. A glance around told him he'd just completely unsettled the locals. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, bowing in apology.

"Sorry to startle you all!" he said. "Stuff came up, and I had to get here fast, so Juju was the only way I could get here on time!" Juju was the name of the phoenix. She had been Shippou's uncle's pet, and Shippou's uncle had been terrible with names, thus the ridiculous title.

The locals looked anxiously at one another as if wondering, '_That_ is our king?' Shippou didn't mind. He got that a lot. Kagome had impressed on Shippou a lot, so he was probably considerably different than others. Well, that and the fact that he grew up in a somber community with his parents where ideals were considerably skewed, and after that he grew up with a lot of people who were, by nature, his enemy.

He looked around in curiosity. "So," he said to no one in particular but all those in the courtyard had stopped their duties to watch him, "I'm here to talk to Lord Poziran. Is he here?"

"Gah! I'm so late," screeched a young wolf demon as he ran by in finery, nearly barreling Shippou over. "Kuga is gonna whack me, mama's gonna smack me, and papa is gonna," a second wolf was a half-step behind him.

"Quit trying to rhyme, Yahara!" the second wolf demon said.

"Shut up, Renge! I'm older than you!" the first, Yahara, snapped. They disappeared into the main keep.

"Ng," muttered yet another wolf demon. This one was considerably older, if Shippou had to guess he would be about Inuyasha's age. Shippou stared at this new one. He was bulky but not unnaturally so. He, too, was dressed in finery. Shippou almost felt underdressed, considering all he'd worn was a considerably larger outfit identical to what he used to wear traveling with Inuyasha.

"You the king?" the wolf asked. Shippou's eyes crossed upwards as he attempted to look at the sun marking on his forehead. It didn't work too well, but the wolf eyed the marking warily before bowing. Shippou returned the bow. "My name's Wyvert. I'm second eldest to Poziran's second mate. Your personal guard came earlier. He's already with Lord Poziran."

Shippou nodded and followed Wyvert inside. Something Shippou had learned about wolves was that they were over confident in their own senses and believed themselves superior to the rest of the world. In that confidence, they made a mistake; they underestimated the rest of the world's abilities.

Shippou could smell blood. He couldn't exactly tell whose blood it was, but he could definitely sense a metallic tang in the air that should not have been there. Injuries did happen from time to time, but that was what infirmaries were for. The scent was too strong, and the wolves had tried to cover it up with the scent of lamp oil.

With the constant unrest in the Eastern Lands, Shippou didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet, but the further Wyvert led Shippou into the keep, the fewer servants he saw and the stronger the scent of blood became. Wyvert opened a door for Shippou and he entered, his body relaxed but his mind prepared for anything.

What he saw was a large row of shelves, a short desk, and some cushions. There was a mud spot on a rug. But the blood was strongest in this room. "Poziran is at the back," Wyvert offered. "He has a second desk back there."

Shippou nodded his thanks and entered the room. Wyvert closed the door behind Shippou. He made his way through the shelves and to the back of the room. The closer he got, the more certain he became that he was approaching the source of the blood.

And when he exited the shelves, he saw the two boys who had run past him, Yahara and Renge, lying in pools of blood on the ground. Yahara's left leg had been cut off and Renge had a dagger in his gut. They weren't the only ones around who were injured. Several others were tied to chairs, blindfolded and gagged. They appeared to be of noble descent, so Shippou assumed they were the noble family.

Biting back fury, Shippou first checked the two boys. They were alive, but unconscious. Shippou took the dagger from Renge's gut and more blood poured from the wound. He used fire to stop the bleeding on both boys.

Shippou looked at each of the figures bound to the chairs. Youko was on the very end, so he was the first one Shippou untied. A shake of Youko's shoulder was all it took to wake Youko. He wasn't too injured, but he was beat up enough that his face was a little swollen.

"Youko, what happened?" Shippou asked.

Youko answered in a daze, "I'm not sure… I got to the gates and… majesty, I don't know…" He shook his head as though to clear it.

"Can you move?" Youko nodded. "Help me wake these others up." Shippou didn't mention the fact that he could hear as someone on the other end of the room dropped what sounded like an oil lamp to the ground. He knew what was going on. Whoever it was were cowards.

They didn't want Shippou dead or they would have attacked him. No, they were deliberately setting up a trap. If Shippou got out without these injured others, whoever they were would make sure the world knew. And if he didn't leave without them, then yes, Shippou would die. Flames could kill Shippou if they were hot enough.

He and Youko untied the others and attempted to wake them. Shippou was surprised when he removed a blindfold and found the face of Kouga beneath it. Kouga had a lump on his head. What was Kouga doing in the East? And so close to the southern border to the Eastern Lands…

Shippou shook Kouga but he wouldn't wake. He smacked Kouga a few times and that registered in Kouga's brain enough that the wolf, while only semi-conscious, tackled Shippou. When Kouga was awake enough to know what he was doing, a wall of plants was holding Kouga by his feet, dangling him in the air.

"Shit head!" Kouga complained, rubbing his noggin as Youko glared at Kouga. "What the fuck! Put me the hell down!"

Shippou stood up, rubbing his neck. That was a little too close for comfort. He'd forgotten that Kouga and Inuyasha reacted even in their sleep, something that made the two very unique. "Kouga, stop!" Shippou demanded, and Shippou's voice stopped Kouga.

Shippou had matured, true. His voice was deeper now, but still the same. The sad thing about fire that Shippou had come to understand was that even if he could start one, he could not put it out except by conventional means. A sudden crackling noise told Shippou the fire was motivated by fuel other than air. And they were in a library.

"It's going to get real hot in here in minutes," Shippou said. Shippou cursed getting up this morning.

One of the wolves rubbed his wrists and opened his mouth. "Your Majesty," he said, his nose twitching even as he glanced around. Metal plates had been hammered to the windows. "I'm Poziran, not that it seems to matter now."

Shippou grinned at Poziran. "Of course it matters!" he said cheerfully, extracting a shocked look from those who were conscious. "I never did say we were going to die." His voice took on a lofty tone as he turned to look at the approaching glowing light. "I haven't given anyone permission to die yet." Just like Sesshoumaru.

Kouga was dropped on his head and a woman approached the two boys on the floor. "Renge!" she gasped. "Yahara…"

Shippou counted those people present. Youko, Poziran, Kouga, Yahara, Renge, and the woman. All but the two boys were conscious. It actually wouldn't be hard to get out. But then Poziran stood up and spoke again.

"My family has betrayed the East to the renegades, majesty. My son Wyvern… killed his brothers and my mates but for Teni." His eyes landed on the woman holding the injured boys.

Shippou shrugged. "A lot of people are choosing sides in this war," he told Poziran. "If you wolves weren't so stubborn to begin with, we would not have this problem. So, choose your side, old man. I'm going to fight to the death for this country because that's my duty."

Kouga growled. Not only had Poziran's sons and mates been killed, but most of the servants and Ginta and Hakkaku had fallen in battle in the early morning. Most didn't have the chance to fight. They had come at them like assassins in the dark. Kouga hadn't thought the Easterner's civil war was that bad, but it appeared to be.

Poziran looked at Kouga. "Well, I know it's a little late, Kuga… but it has been nice knowing you."

"Ya too, Old Poz," Kouga grinned slightly. "And, it's really Kōga. Not Kuga." How many years had Kouga been called 'Kuga'?

Poziran gave Kouga a wry smile. "My apologies… Kuga." He looked at the woman but didn't say any more.

"Alright then!" Shippou turned to the large vine plant that had held Kouga in the air by his feet and burned it down. "I'm almost disappointed," he murmured thoughtfully as he looked around him. "I thought getting out would be hard."

Kouga pointed out, "You might want to save that line 'till we're _out_ already."

Teni stood with Yahara in her arms. Poziran picked up Renge. Youko remained motionless but sweat was beading on his forehead already. It wasn't quite that warm yet, but the oxygen was being eaten by the fire. The smoke was eating at all their lungs, suffocating them.

Shippou walked over to one of the windows and placed his hand on the metal. The metal began to turn red around his hand and the red hot area started melting. Everyone crowded away from the window, knowing the fire would burst in that direction the minute the air came in.

It did. The fire flashed momentarily in Shippou's direction, but pulled back again in seconds and Shippou had them all jump out of the second story window. Kouga went first, clashing straight into warriors placed to watch the windows and kill any escapees. Youko went next, Poziran with Renge after that, and Teni and Yahara after that. Shippou let out a loud whistle as he jumped out the window and into the fray.

Perhaps Shippou was looking at life wrong, finding humor in any situation he came across these days. Sure, Renge and Yahara were injured. Youko and the others had bumps and bruises and scrapes. People were dead.

But that happened every day. To Shippou, they weren't just numbers. They were people with names and faces and dreams but not just that. They were dead. They were in a world where pain didn't exist. Sure they left behind those they loved most, but they knew they would someday see them again.

That was what Shippou had to believe or else he would go mad. So that death and pain could be distanced from him, he believed that someday everyone would be reunited. It helped him cope with his own losses, and helped him bear the heavy burden of ruling a country when quite frankly he should never have been needed.

**-modern era- **

Hiei felt Akari waking up in his arms. He was certain no one knew he was back yet. It had been a very weird feeling to simply fade away from Kagome and find himself in the bottom of the well with Akari. He'd come into the shrine through Kagome's bedroom window so he wouldn't wake anyone.

He'd known it would happen though. The minute his sword slipped into Oshmage's gut, he had Seen it with his Jagan. The woman on the cross. The cross was very large, at least twenty five feet high, and at the very top was a small woman. She was hideous, but beautiful. Her hair of the purest white color flowed past where her feet were nailed to the cross.

Blood dripped from her feet and her hands. He took a peak into her mind, but found her mind wasn't there. It was almost like she was dead. With Oshmage still on Hiei's sword, he stared at the woman. No one else was present. Oshmage's little 'party' had been broken up the instant Oshmage unleashed a dangerously large fire ball at Hiei that started the place on fire.

The woman cackled with joy. "It is happening. This cross of the Tree of Time cannot hold me forever. The world will be destroyed."

Hiei shuddered in revulsion seeing that creature. It took all his discipline not to scream and even that was nearly not enough. He kicked Oshmage off of his sword and the fat, dead father he had never known fell to the ground.

"And you," the crucified woman said as the blindfold that had covered her eyes fell from her face as though someone were pulling it off, "you, boy, shall return to your time along with that brat so you cannot stop my Chosen from destroying the world! Ah ha ha!"

Hiei had high-tailed it out of there. There was something frightening about her. She looked almost exactly like Kagome. He didn't want to look at her beautiful yet ugly countenance ever again. And yet, last night when he had looked at Kagome, he saw the same mad gleam brewing in her eyes. He'd been helpless to stop it from growing.

Something deep inside him spoke treasonous words that Kagome would not return to him. And then Akari sat up and looked at Hiei. She didn't know. She bounced on both Kagome's bed and her father, clueless to Hiei's innermost fears. He did not want to lose Kagome. He could handle her being with someone other than him if that was what made her happy.

This fear that she would die, he could not handle that. Ten times worse was the fact that he felt _them_ growing inside her last night. She was pregnant, and he knew it because he could feel the elements growing and strengthening in her belly. If it hadn't been fire, or ice, he would never have noticed. But it was fire and ice. And he did know.

**Keep reviewing.**


	197. Vale of Elements

**Title: Another TK Crossover  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I love me... oh fluttery stomach butterflies, I'm so romantic!_

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Chapter 197:  
Vale of Elements

**-Feudal Era, Shippou- **

Shippou's shrill whistle had brought Juju instantly and the giant phoenix shrieked over the battlefield. Juju swept down on the battlefield. The natural defenses of the firebird burned any projectile weapons before it could get close, and no man or demon among the wolves could near the firebird without their blood starting on fire.

Shippou glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Wyvert watching the scramble from a window of the burning building. He couldn't help but wonder what the guy was doing still inside. Even if he wasn't in the library, the flames were hot enough by now that the whole castle would soon burn down.

But Wyvert's eyes were on Shippou, and there was a gleam in his eyes that Shippou recognized as disdain. Then Wyvert was gone from the window and Shippou was forced to turn his attention back to the fight on hand. With a dagger in each hand, Shippou weaved expertly through the battle. Kouga and Poziran were leading the way to a side exit out of the grounds.

Poziran and Teni were having a difficult time defending themselves from the onslaught due to the unconscious boys in their arms, but they seemed to manage. Youko looked more uncertain where to go; at Shippou's slow rate of movement and the fact that most of the enemy was converging on him alone, Youko wasn't sure if he should stay back with Shippou or help Kouga protect and lead Poziran and Teni out.

Shippou decided to make Youko's mind up for him. "Go, Youko! See to it that they get out safely! I'll follow behind!" For the moment, Shippou was staying out of the heating defense of his firebird so that the enemy could get close to him and didn't go after the others as much.

Youko nodded grimly and turned his offense on the enemy in front of and behind the group. Once they were at the gate, Shippou let his aura out of its controlled cage and fires began to start all around him, burning the very rocks in the area. A warrior dashed at him and was subjected to that aura, liquidated by it.

He raced over to Juju and the bird shrieked loudly as its master, the rightful king of the East, landed on his back. With a lifting feeling in his gut, Juju took flight and soared in circles upward. Shippou told Juju, "Put your aura in me, Juju. And land just outside the gate, so we can get the others up here."

Juju shrieked his understanding and his concern, but obeyed and Shippou felt the immense aura of the firebird tear through his blood. It hurt quite a bit, and just beneath his flesh he could feel the raging fire of the bird. They landed just in front of the running group and the firebird, no longer on fire, shrieked loudly as if to order them to get on his back.

Shippou called, "Quickly, or I'll leave your smelly wolf asses behind!"

Youko gave Shippou a rather annoyed look before sweeping Teni and Yahara up onto the firebird's massive back. Kouga and Poziran came with Renge not two seconds later. Before they even had the chance to get settled, Juju had already taken flight. "Majesty, I have warned you against taking Juju's aura in!" Youko hissed.

Shippou waved his hand absently at Youko, standing up on Juju's back as they circled upward. The others crouched low against the bird. "It's not going to be in long." Shippou stated. He looked down on the warriors below. They were mounting horses and shooting out of the castle to follow them. "Head for the mountains, Juju!"

Kouga yelled over the rush of wind as Juju sped up, "The mountains are over the Western border!"

Shippou shrugged, trying to ignore the pain of Juju's aura. "So?" he asked Kouga, turning to face his old friend. He could remember days where Kouga and Inuyasha would take turns whacking him for his stupid comments. "I don't give a damn where political boundaries are. I'm getting you to safety, and you're safe in the West. If something were to happen to you in the East, it would cause the North to call war upon my already split country, and the East would be wiped off the face of the earth."

Kouga frowned. "It feels like I should know you…" Kouga said.

Shippou smirked. "Maybe you should," he said mysteriously. "Old man," he looked at Poziran, "decide right here and now. Your clan seems to have gone to the rebels. Where do _you_ stand? If you want to stay neutral, fine, leave the East and stay neutral if you like. Things are coming to a head. I can't have you in the East _and_ neutral."

Poziran looked down at Renge's blood splashed features. He ran a bloody hand through his sweaty black hair and chuckled darkly. "I can't very well be neutral, can I? Three thousand years of neutrality has come to an end because my son is greedy. I'll have to teach him some manners before the end of this."

Kouga looked up at Shippou and declared, "I, and the clans of the Northern Lands, will give you whatever aide we can." Shippou knew from the arrogant set to Kouga's jaw that it was inevitable. "Hakkaku and Ginta and my Eastern cousins will be avenged!"

Teni held the unconscious Yahara to her bosom and spoke in quiet words to Kouga. Over the wind whistling in Shippou's ears, he couldn't hear her but he could read her lips. "What will you have us do, my Lord?" She seemed almost broken.

"Stay in the protection of the Northern Clans and bring Yahara and Renge to health."

Youko said to Shippou, "Majesty, we have crossed into the Western Lands. All of the West will know you are here."

Shippou looked over his shoulder. They were approaching the mountains. Within five minutes, Juju shrieked their arrival. He circled the mountain top. "He can't land with us on him. We're going to have to jump."

"We?" Youko frowned. "We belong in the East, majesty!"

Shippou laughed at Youko and pat his shoulder. His laughter earned a furious look from Kouga. Shippou knew very well that the day's events should have made him more subdued, but he felt it was useful to follow something he'd once heard Kagome say. "If I don't laugh… I'll burst into uncontrollable tears and there's no guarantee I'll be able to stop." Kagome had said.

"Poziran, give me Renge," Kouga said. Poziran shook his head.

"Take Yahara from Teni." Teni was reluctant to hand her son over but she did. Poziran and Kouga jumped from the firebird's back.

Shippou said, "Youko, help her down." Without comment, Youko grabbed the woman despite her protests and they leapt onto the mountain, with only faith to guide a safe landing. Shippou let Juju's aura float back into the firebird. His body, so strained from the immense aura, toppled sideways. He remembered why Youko hated him taking in Juju's aura as Juju circled the mountain and Shippou slipped from the bird unconscious head first toward a painful landing.

**-Modern Era- **

Hiei was just getting Akari into a clean blue dress after a shower when a knock came on the bathroom door. "Open," he called quietly, and tugged purposefully on the white sleeves of the under shirt, making sure the sleeves weren't crumpled under the sleeveless straps of the blue material.

It was still so astonishing how far he'd come in the last few years. Now he was matching colors for outfits and shoes to dresses. What next? Would he start learning how to do fancy hair styles?

Akari Dekage blinked slowly, silently at him and the door opened. Souta leaned in the doorway. "Two of Kagome's old friends are here asking for her. Mother and Naraku aren't here to handle it. Do you want to, or should I?"

Ever since Hiei had met Souta, he had liked Kagome's younger brother. He was a simple guy, adverse to complicating things any more than they needed to be. The two of them had gotten along rather well, and strangely enough, quickly.

Hiei stood up and rummaged through the tray of Akari's bathroom supplies for her hairbrush. He ran the brush through Akari's hair a few times to get the majority of the snarls out of her curls and then rubbed her hair with the towel before brushing it again. It was straight while it was wet, but as it dried, it began forming its natural curls once more.

"I suppose I can deal with it," Hiei informed Souta.

As Souta informed him who was waiting, he brushed the minds of those waiting in the living room of the shrine with his Jagan. "Yuka something-or-other and Eri Misuyo. They were friends of Kagome's in high school. We always had to tell them that Kagome was sick when she 'traveled'."

Hiei frowned. "There's a third person down there…" It was strange. He couldn't grab hold of the person's mind, almost as if their thoughts were too fleeting to stop on one thing for any amount of time.

"Ah," Souta grinned. "Eri's three-year-old." That explained it. Young children's minds were often scattered so fleetingly. "Should have known you'd be checking down there."

Hiei put the brush down and looked at Akari's still features. Again, she blinked slowly. "Okay, you can move," he told the girl. Instantly she transformed from a still little girl to a bouncing girl. She raced around Souta and promptly tripped in the hall. She was unperturbed by the loud thud made by her fall and was as quickly up again, charging at Kagome's room.

Hiei put all Akari's bathroom items back in order and followed Souta down the hall to the stairway. "You want to wait for her at the top of the stairs?" he asked the young man distractedly.

Souta snickered. "Yeah, sure, _dad_," he muttered under his breath.

"She has a tendency to fall down stairs," Hiei said to justify his concerns. Souta only laughed harder. Hiei walked down the stairs, wondering where Kagome was at that moment. Probably still in Yuu. It had been less than twelve hours since he was back in the feudal era with her, kissing her for what felt like the last time ever.

He slid open the shoji door to the living room and entered, closing the door behind him. Upon his entrance, three sets of eyes turned on him. Two pair belonged to women of the same age group as Kagome. He recognized them from the hospital. The one seated on the chair, with the darkened aura, was Yuka. The other on the couch with the little boy was Eri.

Eri appeared to be pregnant. It was either that, or she had gotten fat in a rather awkward manner. He had noticed her pregnant girth when he was introduced to her at the hospital too, but he hadn't taken much note of it since she was barely showing under the larger shirt she'd been wearing. Now with the tighter shirt she wore, he saw she must be several months along.

"Hiei-san," Eri said in surprise. "Is Kagome well?"

Hiei inclined his head, walking around the couch to view both women properly. "Kagome is fine." He let his eyes rove all three of them. The boy was nondescript, simply sitting on the couch playing with a toy car. He looked like any other Japanese boy, ordinary with brown eyes and black hair.

Eri looked almost brittle. Her hair was held back in a docile tie. There were rings of color under both eyes, and her lower lip was swollen. She had rings of color around her neck as if someone had attempted to strangle her. Her arms were littered in fingerprint bruises. Her aura was that of one who was afraid of their own shadow. He remembered the things she had said about her husband and pitied her.

Yuka had a strangely cold aura. It was as if something had contaminated her. The way she looked at Hiei sent his entire body on edge. She seemed to hate him for reasons deeper than the normal being. Most upsetting about her was how he could not do any more than brush her mind just briefly. It was almost like his Jagan's consciousness slid over glass.

"May we see her?" Eri asked.

Hiei turned his attention back to Eri. "Unfortunately she is not here." He was not sorry.

"Oh," Eri looked down at her hands, almost forlornly. Then, almost with a determined look in her eyes, she asked, "Would you give her a message?" Hiei nodded. "She probably already knows. It's all over the news, but someone murdered Ayumi and Hojou."

Yuka said coldly, "How many times do I have to point out, they ruled out homicide! Hojou killed Ayumi and then himself."

Eri glared at Yuka and hissed, "You know as well as I do, there's no way Hojou could do that!"

"You're naïve, then," Yuka snapped. "Maybe your imaginary murderer will come after _you_ next!" It was brief, but Hiei caught it. The slight twitch of Yuka's fingers. The murderous intent in her darkened aura. Hiei almost smiled in spite of himself.

Yuka didn't say any goodbye. She stormed out of the room and snapped the living room door shut behind her. A normal human wouldn't have known Yuka walked the opposing direction of the front door; Hiei felt her aura moving quickly further into the house.

He easily slipped into Souta's mind. Souta was in Kagome's bedroom with Akari. He was probably trying to coax her away from Kagome's old science text book. _We have an unwanted guest roaming the house._ He told Souta.

_Really?_ Souta had learned quickly that what he thought would project to Hiei as speech.

_Trying to find the front door, I presume,_ Hiei was full aware that the front door was practically next to the living room door. _Perhaps you might show her its location. Be careful with that one though… I don't like the feel of her aura._

_Okay._

Hiei turned back to Eri. The conversation with Souta had taken mere seconds, and Eri was still looking at the living room door in astonishment. She turned to Hiei and apologized. "I'm sorry about her. She wasn't always like that."

Hiei could feel Souta and Yuka both in the upstairs hall. Akari Dekage was approaching where Souta was confronting Yuka. That murderous feel amplified ten-fold and Hiei knew he could not stay in the living room. "Excuse me," he said briefly and left the room.

He rushed up the stairs and approached Yuka from behind. She was glaring at Akari almost as if all she saw was Akari. Akari simply stared up at Yuka, her doll hugged to her chest. Once Hiei was within Akari's vision, Akari's fingers flicked to form words. This—is—a—bad—lady.

Souta stepped slightly to his right, blocking Akari from Yuka's sight. "The front door is not on the second floor," Souta said firmly. "We tend to keep those things on the first floor… you know, for the sake of convenience."

Yuka smiled a forced smile. "Quite the beautiful daughter Kagome has here. Is that her bedroom?" Without waiting for an answer, Yuka spun on her heels and glanced at Hiei. "You, brat… you're in my way."

Hiei stepped aside, allowing her access to the stair case. "No hard feelings," Hiei said blandly, "but don't come back." He wouldn't really know if she did or not, since he had already decided hours earlier that he would be taking Akari into the demon world to his home. He hadn't been there in over twenty years. He figured it was about time to return.

Yuka went down the stairs and Hiei followed her. He saw her to the front door and locked it behind her. It was a small assurance. He then returned to Eri. "I would recommend staying away from that one." He said.

Eri sighed. "Yuka? I know. She's… different now. She used to be happy and fun to be around. A fashion queen even. Her parents died with rather odd circumstances behind their deaths a few years ago, and since then Yuka hasn't been the same."

"All the same," why did he care? It wasn't his problem. "I'd recommend staying away from her. Hire a bodyguard if you have to. She's dangerous to you and your kid."

Eri nodded. She stood and thanked him for his time before leading her chirpy child to the front door, waddling due to her pregnancy. Since it was nearly lunch time, Hiei made his way to the kitchen and took various vegetables from the refrigerator. It wasn't long before he had a pot of home-cooked stew brewing for supper, and once that was set, he prepped a salad for Akari's lunch.

It was astonishing how he was changing these days. He didn't have to even think consciously about what he was doing anymore. There was no question of whether or not he _would_ do what he did either.

At exactly noon, Akari raced into the kitchen and climbed up onto a chair. Hiei gave her the salad and she munched noisily on the greens. Souta came into the kitchen and grabbed the jug of milk from the fridge, chugging from it.

Hiei watched Souta and Akari alternately. There was definitely no question to their relation… Finally as Souta recapped the jug and put it back in the fridge empty, Hiei spoke. "I'm going to leave here."

He felt it was at least decent to tell Souta. Souta wiped his milk mustache on his sleeve and scrounged for something to munch from the cupboards. "Where'll you go? Akari will miss you."

Hiei looked at Akari. The little girl was eating without—it seemed—a worry in the world. She was unaffected by Hiei's declaration. "Akari will be going with me." Hiei said simply.

Souta found a box of cheese curls and began eating them even as he talked. "What about Kagome? Naraku says she comes back in eight months. She'll want to…" Souta smirked as Hiei felt his face burning and put his head down on the table. "Oh, come on," Souta laughed. "It ain't that bad!"

"I'll be at my home in the Vale of Elements." Hiei went on. Somehow when Souta spoke like that, he felt incredibly embarrassed. Embarrassment wasn't an emotion he liked. But he could forgive Souta for it. "I don't expect to come back very soon."

"Well, I ain't stoppin' ya." Souta said as he crunched more of the curls. "Mother'll stop you though." Hiei raised one eyebrow at the younger man. Souta blushed. "Or, she'll try to anyway."

"Where I go is none of her business either. I'll leave you directions on how to get to the Vale if I am immediately needed, but the information is not to leave your mind." Souta nodded grimly. "If someone comes into the Vale without my permission, and it is not you, I will kill them." It was a good thing to note that death still flowed evenly from his lips.

Souta said, "Are you sure you want to leave the directions with me?" He had no doubt that he would keep it secret. He would never betray Hiei even with the threat of his life. Doing so would be like stabbing his own sister, something he could not fathom…unless that sister was Sheena…then he could. "You know what work I'm doing for _them_."

Hiei shrugged. "If the Queen wants to pick that information from your mind so badly… let her. I've always wondered what would happen if I clashed swords with that whore."

**-Feudal Era- **

Shippou awoke with a nasty bump on his noggin and a terrible headache. For a few moments, the world spun in whirling circles. He thought he should lie down before he fell down, and realized with astonishment that he already was.

When he tried to move, a warm hand pressed against his shoulder and gentled him backward again. A blurred face entered his vision. If he could see straight, he supposed the person would be beautiful.

He waited with ill patience for his vision to straighten out and when it did, he found he was right. The woman was indeed beautiful, almost ethereal even. Her pale pink hair almost haloed her head. Her soft pink eyes were the kindest he had ever seen. Even Kagome's eyes weren't so selfless seeming. Her features were pale, but there was no line of worry or deceit on that face. She smiled as though her face knew no terror.

"Please, remain still, child." The woman said. Her voice seemed somehow archaic, as if the woman had seen the birth of many things, including the beginning. "Thy body hath been strained terribly."

Shippou tried to sit up again, but she wouldn't let him. "That was Juju's aura." Shippou said. "Who are you? And where am I?"

The woman smiled. "Sephira. I request assistance from thee, Noble King." It was only then that Shippou realized the woman was naked. He pulled away from her, but she showed no offense.

"What kind of assistance?" Shippou asked warily. He was a little more than concerned about agreeing to a favor for a naked woman. Had she been clothed, he might not have hesitated.

"A small favor. I have been imprisoned by a terrible evil, many thousands of years ago." She looked to her left, and he sat up to see what she was looking at. Hovering above a pedestal was a small wooden circle with six wooden pins holding a glowing jewel in place in the center of the wooden circle. The circle seemed to turn lazily on an invisible axis that rotated.

"How did I get here?" Shippou blurted suddenly. "Last I remember, I was falling off of Juju."

"I brought you here, to where I am imprisoned." Shippou pulled himself to his feet. Who could imprison so lovely a creature? Why? For what reason would she be imprisoned? "Please, Noble King, save me from this detainment. The jewel need only be removed from the amulet and we will both be free of our captivity."

"We? You mean I'm stuck here too?!" Shippou groaned. Just what he needed. His country was in the middle of a civil war and he up and gets himself captured by who-knew-who. He pulled his sore body, aching migraine and all, to the jewel. Observing it, he saw the six pins would simply pull out. It was a strange contraption, however. Since it kept turning and rotating, it was almost difficult to tell how hard it would have to be pulled to drop the jewel.

And there was the question of if the obviously mystical item would have any strange, dangerous features, such as all the pins requiring to be pulled at once or a trap would spring. However, he didn't have very much time to think about it as the woman came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. She pressed her shapely body against his and he felt all willpower leave him.

He was trapped in his mind. He could see only blackness. He fought against the blackness. He could sense his body moving against his will.

**-Chieko- **

She smiled at the fox king, her body shifting back to normal. Taking on the appearance of Sephira was hardly difficult for Chieko, since Sephira _had_ been Chieko's mother. Sephira, however, had died many years ago at Chieko's hand. Or, rather, fangs.

Chieko had killed the woman for the power she could give through death. Sephira's only creation had been the amulet that currently held a stone Sephira had picked out of a riverbed and carried through the centuries. It was the Stone of Sephira, and it was entirely pure and selfless…like its creator. Someone like Chieko would never get a hold of the amulet as long as the stone resided in the pins.

But Sephira had a flaw. She wanted to keep her amulet away from evil, so she filled the stone with her aura before death. She forgot…evil could use the pure to achieve their gains. Chieko chuckled and watched with narrowed eyes as Shippou reached out to the amulet.

The touch of his fingers stopped the amulet's spinning, and a soft, pure white glow encompassed him. Chieko had to back away as that stone's aura licked out at her flesh, trying to purify her. "Sorry, mother," Chieko laughed cruelly. "This time, it is mine."

The aura from the stone started to form an ethereal shape. Very soon, Chieko saw her mother standing with her arms around Shippou's shoulders. "My daughter," Sephira breathed in disappointment. "I'm sorry it must come to this…" The ghostly figure reached out a hand and grasped the amulet.

Chieko realized too late what her dead mother was doing. In a matter of seconds, the amulet, and Shippou, had disappeared. The jewel remained floating and spinning on an imaginary axis that tumbled and weaved. Chieko howled her frustration and attacked the jewel and the pedestal. She was thrown backwards into the stone wall of the hovel.

**-Sesshoumaru- **

Rin was back to her usual questioning self. Three times daily he found himself wondering if he ought to just send Rin to marry the Eastern King already, but thoughts of the civil war there made him apprehensive. He was losing the closest thing he had to a daughter to marriage. He didn't want to make that death as well.

Rin asked, "Junokobi-sama, where did the elemental demons all come from? You told me the animal demons were born from the Gods. But what about the elemental ones?" As ever, she managed to somehow seem as though she had asked ten questions instead of just one, and yet Sesshoumaru didn't know how she did it.

Junokobi had clearly liked the few weeks of silence he had been awarded by completely confusing her and it was quite obvious that he was fully intent on answering her questions so thoroughly there would be no room for more comment. "The Gods also created the elemental demons, although they created them first and with far less variation than the animals."

"But why was there less variation?" Rin asked.

"Shall I answer that question, or your first, my Lady?" Junokobi asked with a small smirk. Rin blushed and stopped the obvious next dozen questions that wanted to shoot out of her mouth. She was a curious little human, always wanting to know why, how, and when things happened.

"In the beginning, the Gods created the world, and on the world they made what the elementals call the Vale of Elements. It is the place in which the first elementals were born. A mountain circles the valley entirely, with gates in the mountain made of elements of Fire, and opposite of fire is Ice. Those are to the North and South. The East and West gates are Lightning and Water."

Rin opened her mouth to speak, and Junokobi cut her off without even needing to look at her. "My Lady, I apologize if the answer is as yet unsatisfactory, but you may allow me to finish first?" She turned redder than before. "Inside the Vale is the bubbling start to the Snake River. There is also the Weeping Blood Tree, and the Tree of Time. The Gate of Death is there, and the Gate of Life. The entire valley is the ground from which Earth elementals were born."

Rin blurted, "I thought the Tree of Time was by Kagome-sama's well!"

"That is merely a root that decided to rise above ground and leaf." Junokobi stated firmly. Sesshoumaru tried not to show his surprise. He hadn't known that. "The Tree of Time has roots all over the world, and the tree itself is so large, it takes days to walk around it. The well was created using a branch cut from that root."

"Oh," Rin's lips formed a little circle and she pondered that for a second before Junokobi continued.

"Wind elementals were created from the breeze that blew through the grasses of the plain. The Weeping Blood Tree gave birth to Dyzano and Sephira, the first Blood Crest Elementals. The poisonous river gave birth to Teffik and Nakra, the first Poison Elementals. The Tree of Time gave birth to Kaito," Sesshoumaru's shock was quite visible at that, "and Shalena."

"Kaito? Our Lord Kaito?" Rin asked.

Junokobi said in a wry voice, "My Lady has many questions… one begins to think one will never have time to answer them all." Rin snapped her mouth shut and again she blushed. "Equally, each of the elements gave birth to two. Time passed and many of them found that the Vale had grown too small for the clashing of elements and they sought out into the world where the Gods had not yet perfected the animals or man. Thus, the elementals came from the Vale of Elements."

"Where is the Vale of Elements? Can we go see it?" Rin asked.

Junokobi's lips twisted. "The Vale of Elements has been hidden for ages past. I don't know if it even exists anymore."

"But the Snake River is fed by the poison river in the Vale right? So if you follow the flow of that, it shouldn't be too hard to find, right?" It did sound logical. But Sesshoumaru knew it wasn't possible. The Snake River flowed out of a small hole in the rocks of the mountain behind the Western capital and followed the cliff edge. Then it broke away from the cliff edge and moved East, winding like a serpent and its current was too fast for anyone to try swimming through. The inner cave it flowed through was misted completely with poison so thick no man could live if they breathed it.

Junokobi said, "My Lady, the Vale does not want to be found. It reveals itself only to those it feels worthy. There has," Rin's lips pursed in a way Sesshoumaru had never seen before.

She actually snapped at Junokobi. "There is a way to get there! There must be! After all, _you_ go there, so why would you say it is hidden?" The thought of a secret really bothered her. She had no trouble stealing all Jaken's secrets, but Junokobi was a different story. He was altogether harder to deal with. She did know he went _somewhere_ quite often, and that he held a great secret which could jeopardize his health and that of those around him, but how to get that secret from him?

She stopped and pointed an accusing finger at Junokobi. Both Sesshoumaru and Junokobi looked at her blankly, though deep within Sesshoumaru's eyes was curiosity and deep within Junokobi's eyes was amusement. "You know the way to the Vale!" she told him.

Junokobi's eyes were dancing with mirth. "As my Lady wishes, I concede the knowledge of the Vale."

"So you can take me there!" Rin continued. She had a reason for wanting to go. She had a purpose because the Final Battle would take place at the Vale of Elements, a place hidden from the outside world. She needed to help Kagome as much as possible, because she knew what Kagome's fate was.

"And for what purpose would it serve if this _humbled_ demon took you?" Junokobi asked.

"It would serve the purpose of you not being so stubborn for once!" Rin was sounding like a spoiled child. She wished she could tell them. Maybe Junokobi would take her more seriously if she did. But she couldn't. So she didn't.

**-Elsewhere- **

Naraku laughed outright when Wyvert brought him the news. "I did tell you your plan to kill the Eastern King would fail. I told you to wait for my signal, didn't I?" Wyvert glowered darkly, a wolfish growl escaping his throat. Naraku laughed again and said, "Oh, settle down. I will get you your throne. You recall the deal. You can have all you want, but the miko is mine."

Wyvert snapped, "I don't know why you're wasting your time with her. She's useless. Everyone knows it. She needs to be protected by all those petty brainwashed demon pets she's got."

Naraku turned his gaze to Kanna's mirror and laughed again. In the mirror was the image of Kagome, walking with Ryuichi, Sango, and two utterly useless children. She stopped abruptly and began puking in a bush. He'd watched her vomit all night last night. She couldn't keep anything down.

"I think my pretty little miko is pregnant." Naraku said with a humorless smile on his face. "That will push back my confrontation with her, unfortunately. I cannot use her if she is pregnant with the innocent blood of youth."

"What do you even want her for anyway?" Wyvert demanded. "I still can't get why you'd give up an entire kingdom for a mere human. Where's your gain!"

Naraku looked out the window and smiled. "Gain? My gain is in her blood. I think I'll rather like its flavor… so sweet, and I'll treasure her for centuries past. Her ghost will rise from the carnage for my agreement with Chieko, and Kagome will be my Queen and my Slave for all eternity. Don't you understand?" He cackled and Wyvert huffed and took his leave, still unaware that he would receive nothing from Naraku but a cold death.

**-Inuyasha- **

Inuyasha woke up late in the day. He and Sheena had gotten into quite the fight the evening before, and he wasn't entirely certain his brain would be straight still. Of course, it may have been scrambled like Kagome's bad cooked eggs and he wouldn't notice a difference—according to Sheena.

Sheena stood over him, fists balled up on her hip and an imperious glare on her features. Miroku and Haru were watching, ready to separate the two physically if they had to. On quite a few occasions between Sheena and Inuyasha, the two drew blood.

Miroku and Haru probably weren't helping the situation much either, since somehow Inuyasha always got the job of protecting Sheena when she went to bathe (which was quite nearly as often as Kagome used to). Inuyasha knew it would only make more sense to have Haru, who was Sheena's _brother_ go keep watch. Not only that, but it would be proper.

"Get up already, or are you going to sleep all day?" Sheena sneered at him.

Inuyasha stood up rather warily, not entirely certain he was up to an argument so early in the…afternoon. It was her fault he was so tired and sore. If only she didn't hit so hard… Sheena stamped off into the undergrowth and Inuyasha stared after her. "What's stuck up her ass?" he asked the other two men.

Haru snickered. "We told her she needed to wake you if she wanted a bath. Took her three hours to get up the courage to kick you awake."

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha asked. "She's got courage enough to kick me clear to the East if she wants to." And he thought he might have a broken rib or something. That would be annoying as it healed.

Haru laughed again. "Don't you know anything? Or smell yourself on her? I mean, Sheena totally volunteers to help you all the time! 'Course, you're way different in our time. Part blind, but…" Haru stopped suddenly when he realized he had revealed more than he should. "Um… forget what I said…" he tried, but Inuyasha was staring with wide eyes at Haru.

"I'm blind?!" he demanded. "What happened to me!"


	198. Birth and Babies

**Title: Another TK Crossover  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Ack, only 2 chapters left to finish plot one. I didn't feel like doing a longer chapter though, and this was a good cutoff. Have a lovely 4th of July._

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Chapter 198:  
Birth and Babies

Inuyasha growled angrily as he got no answer from Haru. The boy really could do a magnificent impression of a rock when he wanted to, and that started to really piss Inuyasha off. So, since questioning Haru became a fruitless effort, Inuyasha got up and marched as carefully as he could—he was sure he had a broken rib or two and it hurt like hell—after Sheena.

The girl was bathing already. She was viciously attacking her clothes with soap purchased in a village. Her black-highlighted-red hair was growing out somewhat. When she first came to the past with Kagome, she had short hair, perhaps shoulder length. Now after a couple months it was growing out and starting to curl even more, though usually she kept it up in a high tie.

He walked up behind the naked woman and demanded loudly, "Why am I blind!"

She sent him a scathing glare. "I don't know what you're talking about!" she said irritably. Of course, on the inside of him Inuyasha had a very humored phantom demon who of course was going through mood swings.

Sheena tossed her soaked shirt on the bank before dunking her head under the water. "You do too! Haru said I'm blind in Kagome's time. Now tell me why I'm blind!" Inuyasha yelled at the girl who currently could not hear.

Sheena surfaced and swam to the other side of the spring. She growled, "Go away, Inuyasha!"

"Fine!" It wasn't Inuyasha who said that, but Seirra. She took control of his body and marched him away. They didn't go very far, but he knew Seirra needed 'out' and it wouldn't be very good hiding in his body if everyone knew that was where she was.

As the pregnant woman came out of his body, she grinned at him. "Aw, Inuyasha, I think she likes you," Seirra teased him. If he was part blind because of lending his body to Seirra for a hiding spot, then he wasn't sure he wanted to continue doing it. Seirra then said, "I need a break. This much phasing can't be good for my body."

Inuyasha felt concern well up inside him and nearly forgot his previous irritation. "If anyone who knows you sees you," he warned her, "it won't be good."

"Just give me your haori," Seirra said. "I'll be fine for a few hours." She held her hand out expectantly and Inuyasha complied albeit uncertainly.

He had planned to wait for Seirra there, but then he got impatient after twenty minutes and headed back to the spring. Sheena was still there. She had gotten out and hung her clothes up on a branch to dry and then sat back in the spring.

"I'm not telling you," Sheena said without opening her eyes to see who it was. He thought it was foolish of her to assume it was him. He could be anyone, really. He thought about scaring her but then decided against it because of the pain in his ribs.

Instead he sat down and stared at her face angrily because she wouldn't answer his question. He wanted to avoid going blind! He couldn't do that if she didn't tell him how.

"You're a pervert," she told him lightly. "I can't believe you're sitting there watching me."

"It ain't like you got anything to look at," Inuyasha sneered and her eyes flew open with a furious light in them. Sheena was so angry, she climbed out of the spring and went over to her clothes, attempting (and mostly failing) to put on an incredibly wet top. "I seen lots of better lookin' girls than you," he said, adding barbs to the wire.

She had the shirt on, but didn't bother trying to put anything else on. Instead she raced toward him, swinging blindly at him in a rage. He caught each one of her blows, surprised that he could. He even managed to successfully trip and pin her to the ground, but he was so embarrassed by the position that put them in that he didn't keep his grip tight enough on her and she flipped them over.

"You want to know?" she demanded. "You don't know how hard it is to me, knowing you in the future but you've never fucking mentioned knowing me _here_. Knowing that I could change something, and I want to so damn bad, but also knowing if I do, you won't be the same person. You never look twice at me, but I work for you every day I can and I try to be noticed."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Inuyasha demanded. "Whatever I did in the future, I haven't done it yet so you're blaming me for it already?! If you tell me, I won't do it!"

"That's just it," Sheena yelled. "I can't tell you because you'll change! I love the future you! I love you _as you are_ and it's torture to be able to come here and have the chance to tell you that I love you so that maybe you'll be waiting for me when I go back, but if you know, you'll change!"

He was surprised when tears came out of the girl's eyes and she leaned to rest her forehead against his. "Y-you l-love me?" his voice squeaked. Declarations of love weren't really his cup of tea, so to say.

She didn't respond to him verbally. She pressed her lips to his and when he was startled by the move and his lips parted just slightly, she further deepened the kiss. It didn't last very long, but it sent sparks through him and he wondered how his future self could ever forget her.

She said, "I have for a long time, Inuyasha. But you forgot about me."

He wondered what to do next. He wanted to reassure her that he wouldn't forget her (that technically he couldn't because a girl who hit as hard as her wasn't easily forgotten) but he didn't know how. When she released his hands and moved to get off of him, he found his body moving without him needing instructions and that was strange since Seirra wasn't inside him.

He flipped her onto her back and placed one hand on her naked waist. Staring into her damp brown eyes, he gave her a small smile of reassurance. "I know now, Sheena," he told her, surprised at how low his voice sounded. Her eyes went a little wide and she seemed to realize the mistake she made by blurting that out. That brought a grin to his face. He wouldn't press the blind issue just now, but maybe later. "And now that I know, I will be able to remember you. I'm going to make sure I remember you."

"Why?" she asked hesitantly.

He knew only one answer to that question. "Because you want me to be waiting for you."

"Why?" she asked again, but this time it was an entirely different question.

"I've never known a girl who hit as hard as you," he admitted, though it wasn't really an answer. She seemed to accept it and grabbed a lock of his hair, dragging him down for a rougher kiss than before even as her free hand made its way into the white yukata he always wore. Her hands wandered his flesh as if memorizing what it felt like to her hands. He wasn't quite sure why, but this almost felt like it was meant to be. Whatever 'this' was…

**-Kagome- **

She had to stop to puke in a bush again. Of course, by then she already figured out what was wrong with her. She wasn't stupid, and the last time she had been this sick after every little swallow of water or even a crumb of bread was when she was pregnant with Akari.

She groaned and sat down in the middle of the road. She'd forgotten that by sleeping with a man in an intimate way—as she had done with Hiei—she could get pregnant. She contributed Akari's immaculate conception to that forgetfulness. She knew she loved Hiei, but at the point in her life that she was at, she wasn't sure she was ready for another child.

After all, she had to save the world, and very soon would be killed by Miroku. It was a heavy burden to bear. It hurt a lot when she thought about leaving Hiei with two children to raise. She hoped he would move on and find someone else; their children would deserve a mother who was alive.

But even more, she worried about Akari. If Hiei did move on, what would Akari think?

She shook her mind clear of these thoughts as Sango approached her. "Kagome, are you okay? You've been throwing up a lot lately."

Kagome laughed bitterly and accepted Sango's water flask, swishing the cold liquid around in her mouth and then spitting it out. "I'm pregnant Sango-chan," she said. "We can have our babies together!" Sango looked surprised for a moment and then glanced at Ryuichi and back at Kagome.

Sango whispered, "I'm not having this abomination, Kagome!"

Kagome capped the flask and held her hand out to the girl. Sango helped her up, even though Kagome couldn't be that far along yet. Sango was a couple months along and now that Kagome was looking, her stomach was indeed starting to bulge as if the child was growing although not very much from malnutrition.

"We'll see, Sango-chan. But for now, I think I want to go back to Sesshoumaru's castle, at least until the baby is born."

Ryuichi and Sango gave Kagome a strange look. "Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you have to stay put, Kagome…" Sango told her.

Kagome sighed and scratched her arm. "I know… but when I was pregnant with Akari, I went into labor four months early, and the doctor told me there was a high likely chance I would go into labor pre-mature with all my children. I guess it had something to do with my stress levels, but I just would rather be on the safe side."

"Perhaps you should return to your world, my Lady," Ryuichi suggested. When she glanced at him, he smiled at her. "Only temporarily, of course. Your world is better suited to health care. Perhaps you should have the baby in your world?"

"I…" She was completely torn at what to do.

**-Eight Months Later- **

Kagome looked down into the depths of the well. She hadn't gone into labor yet, and her stomach was far more swollen than it had ever been with Akari, though that was to be expected. She was incredibly small for her age.

What she had decided to do was remain in the feudal era at least for a while, but even staying put at Sesshoumaru's castle became a job and a half; she was always doing this thing or that thing, trying to clear up loose ends that she felt needed clearing up. As such, she was constantly busy and completely forgot to return through the well as Ryuichi suggested.

Now, there she stood looking down into the well. She was surprised that she hadn't gone into labor early as had been suggested she would. She had plenty of stressful situations over the past eight months (vomiting in the middle of one of Sesshoumaru's council meetings being one of those situations) but nothing seemed to stress her out enough that she would go into labor.

Only one person had come to see her off, because that was all she wanted around her. She was mad at Sango because the other girl had a miscarriage, so Kagome had told Sango to just leave her alone. Sango was both grateful and not because Kagome had told Ryuichi _not_ to follow Sango. Sango needed time to come to terms with what she considered a disgrace before she hurt someone else, so Sango left with the young-Hiei and the little ice maiden.

The little girl was to be taken home, and Sango was going to handle that on her own. Sesshoumaru had business to handle but he would have set that aside if Kagome didn't order him not to. Miroku had disappeared again, to see Naraku she had no doubt. Due to the rising situation with the Eastern civil war, Rin was no longer allowed out of the palace, and Junokobi was assigned as Rin's personal guard unless Sesshoumaru left the castle.

Inuyasha had been sent to check up on rumors of the King of the East being in the Western Lands one month prior and had yet to return. He was accompanied by Haru. Kagome hadn't heard or seen Kouga in a very long time so had no idea where he was.

But the one she wanted to accompany her was Sheena. Once Kagome decided to stay in the palace, she'd sent a message off to Inuyasha's group telling them to come to the castle. Sheena agreed to stay in the palace with Kagome without a moment's hesitation, almost as if she'd been dying for an excuse to get away from her group.

Kagome looked at Sheena's plumping form and sighed, waving to the lip of the well. Sheena waddled over and sat down. This was something Kagome had avoided mentioning; Inuyasha and Haru hadn't noticed it, and if they had they didn't mention it.

Sheena blushed as she pulled the haori she wore tighter about her form. The clothing practically dwarfed her. Kagome stared up at the sky. Sheena twitched uncomfortably but Kagome didn't make any move to ask the question. She knew if she waited long enough, the answers she wanted would simply be blurted out.

And true enough, Sheena couldn't stand the silence of evening birds. "It was an accident!" Sheena insisted, tears springing to her face immediately. "Oh my god, what will Haru think of me if he ever finds out, Kagome? It was just once. And dad, Kagome, what will dad think?" she buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

"I just want to know you didn't fall for Miroku's 'bear my children' line," Kagome teased the girl. Sheena hiccupped miserably. Kagome pulled the girl's hands away from her face and gentled the girl into looking at her. "It's okay that it happened."

"But the balance, Kagome! Dad's always talking about the balance of time and how just one mistake could destroy everything! The whole universe could, I don't know, blow up!" Sheena said hysterically.

Kagome bit back a laugh. "Blow up? Sheena, I've made so many mistakes already that if that were true, we wouldn't exist. For heaven's sake, Sheena, I've given Inuyasha lessons in history—his future. It's going to be okay, no matter what. You just have to decide if you want the child to be born _here_ in this time, or in our time. It's just like it was explained to me. If you have the child here, it will have to stay here. It won't be like us; once its born, it won't be able to time travel."

Sheena calmed down a little bit and sniffed. "I… I don't want to stay in our time. I want to stay here."

"Sorry, honey," Kagome shook her head sadly and looked at the well bitterly. "I've tried and that doesn't work. The minute you complete your task, the well will pull you back. What you have is a decision to make; I can't make it for you. Maybe father," how strange that she could think of future-Naraku as her father, "will be upset, and maybe Haru will be upset. But at some point you have to realize that you already made the mistake and you can't undo it."

Sheena was silent for a very long time. Kagome let her go and maneuvered herself so she would be able to fall into the well. The bright blue light encompassed her and set her safely on the other side. Climbing the ladder was awkward, but she managed it. She had just gotten into the courtyard when she felt constrictions in her lower abdomen. The baby was definitely coming, and it was coming _now_.

Luckily, her younger brother was just coming up the stairs in time to see her collapse in a puddle. "Ng!" she cried, biting her lip. "It hurts even more than with Akari," she was nearly seeing stars.

"Kagome!" Souta cried desperately, crossing to stand before her. "Kagome, what's wrong?!"

"B-baby c-coming," she panted and he finally noticed her bulging belly.

"Dear gods," he gasped. "No one is even home right now, Kagome!" he swore.

"Th-the people…in the b-basement," she questioned, and he shook his head.

"Damn. Bunch of fuckin' brainless goats down there right now, but no one with half a brain. Come on, I'll get you to a hospital if it's the last thing I do." Souta pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a few numbers. He put the piece to his ear and in a minute he was saying, "I need an ambulance! My sister's gone into labor!"

**What do you think... should I let Hiei see Kagome one last time before she trollops off to die, or should I have the well pull her again? Decisions, decisions, oh my readers what should I do? Gahaha, I can't wait to get to plot two. You guys'll be like "Oh my, I never saw that coming..." since Kagome's dead. Tell me what to do!**


	199. Name Them

**Title: TMttF (HAHAHAHA! Apparently I titled the last chapter "ATKC" and no one even batted an eye!)  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry for the long wait. The next chapter will be uber long with a final battle and everything! And hopefully sooner rather than later._

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Chapter 199:  
Name Them

_"Kagome, are you coming?" Hiei asked. _

_Kagome turned her eyes to the winter clouds and closed them for a minute. "No," she told him, "at least… not yet. Go to the priestess in that village and with a mention of my name, she will likely give you residence to sleep the night. It is getting late." The sun was setting in the feudal era, creating clashing colors that made the sky look like it was on fire. _

_"And why is it that you would not also come?" he inquired of the woman he accidentally loved. She looked like she was at peace with the world, and like she was happy. While he didn't want to take that happiness away, he also didn't want to leave her alone with the jewel shards around her neck. The jewel's power was less prominent in the modern world, but here it could be felt pulsing and shifting as well as her own power._

_"I'll come," she promised him, "I just need a few minutes." It's been a while since I've been truly able to come here without fear of retribution for broken promises… she finished in her mind, knowing he was inside her mind at that time to hear. She turned her eyes to his and he nodded once before continuing after their daughter. He trusted her not to do something stupid that would get herself killed. _

_Once his presence had faded down the hill and she knew he had evacuated her mind, she set off for the Goshinboku. It was a chilly winter day but with her wings wrapped around her body in the seemingly impossible way, hidden beneath the jacket, it was like she wore a cozy down jacket. Her hand toyed with the bow string. Every time she pulled it, the string would make a twang noise, like a music. _

_The forest was peaceful as she passed through it but quickly it was getting darker. She reached the Goshinboku and leaned the bow and the quiver against it purposefully and then stood back for a moment. It only seemed proper; Kohaku had told her of the death of Kikyou. _

_As the wind whispered through the trees, tearing at her clothes and freezing her she almost thought she heard a soft 'thank you' on the wind. A smile crossed her face. "You're welcome," she called out. The ghost of the long-dead priestess came out of the trees and stood by Kagome. She knew there was a high chance that it was just a hallucination, but she didn't mind. _

_"Inuyasha will be upset to know you love someone else." Kikyou said as the ghost and Kagome both stared up at the strange spot on the tree where Inuyasha had been pinned. _

_Kagome's shoulders lifted in a shrug. "It would never have worked out. If Inuyasha is even alive in my time…" Kagome placed a hand on the hilt of the sword Sango had given her so long ago. "If he's alive, I've not seen even his shadow. But I've come to gather that something happens to alter everyone's memories. I think it would be even more cruel to let myself get caught up in a fairy tale… This is all a dream, because I'll get my happy-ever-after." _

_Kikyou the ghost sighed. "I hate you for ruining my life… because you came here, I was able to be brought to life. I thought I took the jewel to hell. But you… you are proof that I will never have peace in life or death. I will see you in hell." _

_Her ghost walked forward and took the offering of the bow and the quiver of arrows. As the last strands of light faded from the trees, the offering disappeared and Kagome continued past the ancient tree, crunching her way through snow to eventually find herself on the cliff she'd dreamed of so often. _

_It was well past midnight, but the moonlight turned the land a soft blue hue so beautiful she could only find solace in it. He showed up at her secret spot to know where she'd found base for her dreams. Far beneath them in the deep valley lay the ugly castle and town and its four ugly, jutted towers. _

_The dark forest was on the far side of the valley. Little dots of light shone from the city, lit torches that mocked the night. Windows in the castle were mostly with closed shutters but some were open. Those were mostly lit up. _

_The moon even mocked them by shining off the Snake River that Kagome nearly died in. She felt her lover move up behind her and wrap his arms around her as if he knew she was frozen even if she refused to let shivers catch her. His unstable body heat warmed her up just as much as his proximity did a number on her internal organs from stomach to heart. Even her brain seemed to have trouble focusing with him near; she chalked that off as silly behavior._

_"Is Akari sleeping?" she asked him. _

_He nodded and simply stood there with his arms around her and his chin resting on top of her head, watching the beautiful landscape glimmer in the moonlight. After a few moments, her body relaxed and she leaned back into his chest as the area around them turned to mud. _

_She turned in his arms and looked up into his beautiful crimson eyes. They betrayed nothing of what went through his mind as usual, but she could feel his concern in the way he held her. She met his gaze and he simply stared at her unblinkingly. _

_Finally she could wait no more; she had to ask. "Do you love me?"_

_His silence was penetrating and nerve wracking. The knowledge that her future self left her a letter stating she had a lover made her desire to know who that could possibly be. Who could love such an ugly creature as burnt, beaten, and scarred as she was. Who could love someone who killed a young boy simply because he begged her to?_

_The longer he was quiet, the more she berated herself for asking. He didn't love her, she just wanted him to. He was using her like everyone else. She was a cheap thrill… a free whore. _

_Then, to her surprise, Hiei asked her, "How often do you plan to ask that stupid question?"_

_She leaned her head against his chest. "Until I get an answer…"_

_His sigh was a long, exasperated one. "You know the answer."_

_"Tell me… what your sticks meant…"_

_"What sticks?" She shook her head and shoved herself away from him, closer to the edge. "Kagome…"_

_"You're not him," she said firmly. "I'm not Kikyou. I'm not stupid enough to fall for the trick you've played on countless others." She'd almost been fooled; but Hiei would have given her a straight answer. His claimed code of honor wouldn't have let him leave a question unanswered, and he'd even proven the fact that he enjoyed telling her he loved her simply because it made her blush._

_Naraku almost had everything perfectly set up for a new level of deceit and treachery, but not this time. He'd replicated Hiei's fiery aura, the mask Hiei wore, and even his personality. But some things were not things that could be imitated. She watched a scowl cross Naraku's features, and smiled when her deductions were confirmed as her true lover stepped out of the tree line with liquid grace, a curious look on his face. _

_Kagome grabbed the jewel shards from her neck and with a sharp jerk, she yanked the bottle from the yarn and held it for Naraku's inspection. "You don't have your shards." Kagome pointed out. "Why?"_

_Naraku was still scowling, but watched as Kagome backed herself toward the edge of the cliff. "It's a long drop." he said. "Why aren't you trying to sneak around me? That forbidden brat would certainly protect you," he jutted his head at where Hiei stood. _

_Hiei shrugged. "Actually I won't." Yes, that was the Hiei that Kagome knew. _

_Naraku's surprise showed clear on his Hiei-like features. Kagome took another step closer to the cliff edge. She knew what she was doing. Naraku growled almost in a warning manner but she mocked him by yet again stepping closer to the edge. "Why wouldn't you? I know all about your secret relations. Did you have an unpleasant argument?"_

_"No," Hiei offered the information freely, a smirk creasing his lips upward, "but she's human. I'd rather she died young than watch her age and die a hag before me. Besides, I'd be fair pissed off if I had to continue rescuing her. She'll need to take care of herself. I'm no white knight."_

_"But you could bind her life to yours." Naraku pointed out._

_Hiei shrugged. "You've been misinformed. Only those who are purebred demons with the power to control time can bind a life to theirs. It's a signature mark of the Blood Crest Demon and the Evil Eye Demon… I am neither of those. So do what you will using my body. I am interested to see what happens."_

_Naraku eyed both of them warily before exploding into his giant spider-like form. He shot toward Kagome but she turned heel and bolted toward the cliff edge and dove over the edge, the hundred foot drop with a poisonous river the only landing place beneath her. She clutched in her hands the jar of shards. Naraku swore violently but started crawling down the cliff face to catch her._

Kagome woke before the dream had a chance to finish its cycle. She sat up, glancing around the hospital room. She was sore and tired from delivery. She'd had a great many weird dreams in the hospital. Souta had stayed with her and held her hand as she gave birth to two beautiful baby boys, but as soon as the delivery was over he had left to get Hiei and Akari.

Kagome smiled as she stood in front of the window looking in the hospital nursery. A look of peace was on her face. She could feel that peace inside her as she looked at twin baby boys. They looked like Hiei. Short tufts of ice-blue-and-fire-red hair stuck to their tiny heads. Both of them had one crimson eye, and one ice-blue eye. Their skin was pale like their father's.

She hadn't named them yet. Hiei would be surprised… Kagome hadn't even told him she was pregnant, and suddenly he was going to be daddy to twin boys. She couldn't wait to tell him. She couldn't wait to see him… Akari would be happy to have siblings.

"They are beautiful," said a low, strangely distorted voice beside Kagome.

Kagome looked to see who had spoken to her and found herself face to…well…mask, with a stranger who was about the same build as her, and the same height. The stranger wore tight clothes. A tight linen shirt beneath a black tank-top, and black Capri pants. If the twin lumps on the stranger's chest were any indication, Kagome guessed female.

They wore a mask, but it had no holes for eyes. The mask looked… out of place. It was painted white, no decoration on it except a blood red "x" crossing the surface. Their hair was as white as snow, cropped earlobe-short.

"They are, aren't they?" Kagome asked. She could sense no ill-intent in the stranger's aura, so she looked back at her children and contemplated no further on the stranger. If the person wanted to walk around with a silly mask on…a mask with no eyeholes…that was their problem.

"You haven't named them." It was a statement, but sounded more like a question.

"No… I'm waiting for their father to come. My brother went to get him."

"But you already know what you want to name them?" It was a question… but sounded more like a statement.

"Yes…The one on the left…If it is okay with their father, I would name him Takeshi. The one on the right, I would name him Tetsuya." She thought it fit well. Souta had given her a baby name book to occupy herself as he went to get Hiei. She'd poked through the book a little bit and found the names, instantly liking them.

"I am not here for no reason…" the stranger told her.

"I didn't think you were." Kagome turned back to the stranger. "Why are you here?" she asked.

"I have orders to kill those two children." Kagome tensed up as the dispassionate voice said that. She almost forgot how to breathe for a moment before remembering she had magic. "Queen Chieko wishes them dead because they are children with mixed elements. That is a dangerous combination."

"Hiei is, but he's no danger!" Kagome insisted. She reached out and gripped the arm of the stranger. "Don't hurt my babies. Please… I beg of you…"

"They will hurt themselves and be a danger to others as they grow. They cry now because their elements are from a powerful demon and from you, a priestess. That is so much more dangerous. Do you understand?"

"I won't let you hurt them," Kagome insisted, and that masked face turned to 'look' at her. "I mean it. I won't. I'll stop you."

"How will you, when you are not here?" the stranger asked, voice filled with wry amusement. That was when Kagome felt the pull of the well's magic, trying to take her to the other side. She fought against it, not wanting to go. She wanted to stay and protect her children.

"No!" she cried as the pull became stronger. She saw the stranger raise their hand palm out. Colorful magic began forming there creating a large, very destructive looking sphere which Kagome was barely able to fight the well's pull long enough to see it crash through the glass window of the nursery.

The bottom of the well was the next thing she saw. She landed painfully.

-Present day, four years later-

Dear daddy-

Are you coming home yet? You missed Takeshi and Tetsuya's birthday. Grandpa threw a party for the boys but I can tell they didn't like it because they cried and hid behind me. I know you have to work, but I wish you didn't have to work so much. Uncle Yusuke is training with Uncle Koenma again, and he's doing a lot better now. Uncle Sesshoumaru wants to start Takeshi and Tetsuya on their studies now that they're four.

My lessons are boring. My tutor doesn't think I understand anything because I don't talk. Uncle Souta is never around anymore. I think he had another fight with Grandma and Grandpa. Uncle Haru and Aunt Sheena left with Cousin Naoko to go overseas this week. There are a lot of people who visit Grandma's shrine so it's always busy.

But I don't like Grandma's house. It reminds me of mommy and it makes me sad because mommy hasn't come home yet. None of the adults will say it, but I know something is the matter because no one will tell me why mommy didn't come back with Aunt Sheena and Uncle Haru. So please, daddy, even if it makes me sad, will you tell me something?

Your baby girl,  
Akari Dekage

Dear Akari-

I'm sorry I've been gone for so long. When I accepted the job, I didn't expect it to last three weeks. I expected to be home in time for the boys' birthday. Instead, I'm stuck baby-sitting a thirty year old weakling who acts more hyper than your cousin Naoko on a sunny day. I suppose if there's one good thing about being a bodyguard-for-hire for humans, its that there aren't many real threats.

The pay is enough to keep you and your brothers fed too, which is the only reason I'm working. I do have good news to send in this letter. This new employer wants to extend the contract to two years instead of just a couple weeks, so I'll be sending for you and the boys soon. I don't know if you've met him before, but an old friend of mine by the name of Kazuma Kuwabara will be bringing you down.

It will still be a few weeks before you can come, but when you do I need you and the boys to be on your best behavior with Kuwabara. And I'm sorry, baby girl. I'm as clueless as you on your mother's whereabouts.

Love dad

* * *

Quick note: "Dad" is Hiei. I know you won't understand some things and it will be confusing, but well... you know... 3 plots. I have time.

**Okay, not a spectacular chapter especially given how long you've waited for it... That is, if anyone is even going to continue reading after such a long absense... This story really never did like me to begin with and after immersing myself in Naruto fanfictions, this one is even harder to write. Of course, I told myself I was not going to give up on it. **

**1 more chapter left to kill Naraku. Who wants to see the end?**


End file.
